This Time Around
by DearJanuary
Summary: How'd the Degrassi kids turn out after school?
1. Could I Be You?

**THIS TIME AROUND**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi but, I made up some of the characters in this story**

**Things can change within a matter of seconds. It always seems like the end of the world when they do and in certain circumstances, ****it**** simply is. However, what most ****people**** usually overlook is that things can change back at anytime. Somehow it's usually when you least expect it.  
**  
Chapter One: Could I Be You?

Colleen Bicknell knew what to expect. The first day back at school after winter break was always consistent for her. Since it was her Senior year, the only change were things would be better. She was a lot like her mother was at her age. She was beautiful, well-liked, well-feared, attractive to the eye and she was on top of the gossip without fail. A lot of girls who hadn't climbed the social ladder like Colleen did were warned not to befriend her, though. Their mothers had known her mother, Paige, or their dads had dated her mother. Colleen didn't mind a single bit, though. She looked at her mom as a goddess. Since her mom had graduated from Degrassi, she had become a successful partner and had now founded her own law firm in the Degrassi community. She had managed to give birth to two beautiful daughters and still look like she stepped off the cover of Teen Vogue. Plus, in Colleen's eyes, her mother had a tremendous relationship with her father.

"Hurry up, Giselle!" Colleen zipped her winter coat to the top and played with the fur on the collar to make sure her look appeared the way she wanted it to. "I said I wanted to arrive fashionably late, not a week later." She sighed exasperated, giving herself one more look in the mirror. 

"Be nice to your sister, Collie. She's not fitting in as well as you manage to." Her mother, Paige, warned her with a casual look.  
"What do we think of the coat?" Colleen danced around to face her mom and then struck a pose. "Too bulky?"  
"You know that I like it. I bought it for you."  
"Right. I just don't know, it takes away my figure and makes me look like a giant box."  
"Winter coats will do that without fail, my dear." Paige gave a little tug on the fur around her daughter's collar to fix it, slightly. "Giselle! What's taking you?" She called out for her youngest daughter.

Strolling out of the hallway, the youngest Bicknell daughter went to slide on her sneakers. She was all done up, jean skirt, rouched tank top, and enough glitter eye shadow to blind a small country. Both, Colleen and Paige had to laugh.

"What?" Giselle didn't understand what was so comedic.  
"It's January, Giselle. You're going to turn into a human popsicle. Go put on pants and a sweater."

Giselle huffed but was too tired to make a fuss. She turned around and dragged her feet back into her room.

"Plus, that's my shirt!" Colleen called.  
"Colleen, honey, why don't you start on your way to school? I'll drive Giselle."   
"It's fine, Mom."  
"No, you're going to be late."  
"See, we wouldn't hve this problem if you and dad would loosen up and buy me a car."  
"Forget about it." She turned her oldest girl around to face the door. "Have a great day."  
"Bye, Mom." Colleen opened their front door with ease and graced the world with her presence.

Paige couldn't figure out how her life had turned out so fantastically but somehow, she was still really disapointed with things. She tried to shake it from her mind and help Giselle with finding something approriate to wear.

On the other end of Degrassi things had never been as glamourus. The Cameron house was about one tenth the size of the Michaelchuck/Bicknell residence and it never ran nearly as smoothly.

Sean was running late for work at his autobody shop. He never bothered to buy an alarm clock because with three grown children in the house, they usually made enough noise to wake him up at the butt crack of dawn but, lately, things hadn't been as noisy. They were still plenty chaotic.

He rubbed his eyes and stretched his arms out. He wandered out of the curtins that were being used as his bedroom door into his pigsty of a living room.

"What time is it?" He yawned at the middle Cameron kid, Cody. Cody was slouched down on the tattered chesterfield watching television in the same clothes he wore yesterday.  
"I don't know. Eight thirty, maybe." He shrugged, not averting his eyes from the television screen.  
"Shit!" He cursed himself, mostly.  
"Dad!" His youngest kid and only daughter called from the kitchen. The Cameron kitchen looked about Polly Pocket sized compared to Paige's kitchen.  
"What?" Sean called, still in the living room. He picked up a few random objects from the floor, dirty laundry, CD's, remotes, food wrappers, the usual.  
"Your lawyer called this morning. I told him you'd call him."  
"Damnit." He cursed himself again, while stubbing his foot on a DVD case. "Did you get his number?"  
"Yeah, it's on the fridge."   
"Thanks, Penny." He finally surfaced into the kitchen.   
"No problem. He said something about scheduling you in for four o'clock."  
Sean took a seat on one of the kitchen table chairs and dumped the pile of junk on the table top. His eyes were shut again and he used one hand to rub his eyes. He had been awake a total of four minutes and he was already stressed out.

"Mom called, too." Penny added. She stared down at her dad, who up until the recent days, she'd always idolized as a hero. The man who would take her for ice cream runs at two am when she had a nightmare, who taught her how to fix spark plugs, drive a stick, and even how to hit a home run. Nowadays, he was worn out, grumpy and hostile. She felt like she was living with a completely different father. Sean groaned at the sound of his soon to be ex-wife. 

"She wants you to call her back."  
"Yeah." He snuffed.  
"Anyways, I got to get going to school. I made you some bacon, you might want to re-heat it. I'm going to try and pick up some groceries after school, alright?" She threw one strap of her handy me down backpack over her shoulder.  
"Thanks, Penny." He felt ridculous sometimes, the way his fifteen year old daughter did almost everything sensiable around their house.  
"I love you, pop." She reached around him and planted a peck on his cheek. "Have a good day." She walked into the living room and shut the television off. "Let's go, Cody."  
"I was watching that, you know."  
"Just assume that Wylie E. Coyote gets tricked by Road Runner and falls for his own trap." She tossed his backpack at him.

Sean got out of the kitchen chair and picked up the phone that had been left off the hook all night, so it was completely dead. 

"Hey! Where's your brother?" He yelled, as Cody and Penny wandered towards the door. "I need to borrow his cellphone." How his oldest son had enough money for a cellphone Sean didn't even want to figure out.  
"I don't think he's home." Penny called back. "Do you know where Zac is?" Penny whispered to Cody.  
"He didn't come home last night."  
"Uh oh." Penny knew what this would bring. It was almost routine to her now.  
"Cody, where's your brother?" Cody should know, Sean figured, after all the two boys shared a bedroom.  
"I don't know."  
"What do you mean, you don't know?"  
"He wasn't in his bed this morning."  
"Was he when you went to sleep?"  
Cody knew he should lie but he also knew his dad was smarter than that.  
"No."  
"Shit! I swear i'm going to kill that brother of yours."  
"Look, we're late for school. Bye, Dad." Penny waved as she and her brother hustled out the door. "It's like a constant war zone in there."  
"Whatever." Cody didn't seem to care.  
"Maybe, we should stay at mom's new place." 

Cody had to snicker, he turned aorund to face his little sister. He couldn't believe how naive she was, ecspecially after everything they had lived though.

"Yeah, Penny, that would go over well with Dad."  
He sped up ahead to catch up with his friends, leaving Penny to walk to school alone. 

The front lot of Degrassi Community School was packed. Students trenching through the snow and laughing with each other, snowballs being thrown furiously across the fields, cars honking and zig zagging everywhere. It was crazy, you'd think it was a mall at Christmas time.

"You going to be okay, Sydney?" Gavin "Spinner" Mason faced his daughter who was unbuckling herself in the passenger seat. "If it's too soon, you can stay home today. I know your teachers would understand."  
"Dad, it's cool."  
"Are you sure? You haven't really been as..." He searched for the right word. He wasn't every very good relating to his teenage daughter. Plus, these days he had to be both a father and a mother. "Well, you aren't going out with your friends or anything, I'm just looking out for you."  
"Thanks for playing concerned parent, but I'm really fine." Sydney wasn't ever very good at convincing her father. When she was little she told him that Cookie Elves ate all his walnut butterscotch chip cookie dough even without washing her hands. The evidence was clear.   
"It's just- Your mom died- Well, Sydney," He kept cutting himself off, this was harder for him it would seem. He noticed his daughter leaning foreword and staring out his window. She looked frazzled by what was going on outside. Gavin turned his head around to check the sights out, too. He came face to face with his old friend, Marco.

Marco was waving like a madman out his window, he was trying his hardest to get Gavins attention. Gavin rolled his window down and chuckled.

"Marco, how are you doing?"  
"Great, and you? How was your Christmas?" Gavin was still figuring out how to answer that. Marco right away corrected his error. "Sorry, uh," He leaned foreword in awkwardness. "Hey Sydney, how you doing?" He smiled at Gavin's daughter.  
"I'm fine, Mr. Del Rossi, how are you?"   
"Great, thanks. Hey, you know my son, right? Spencer?"  
She reclined foreword more to check to see if it was the kid she thought it was. Sure enough it was. He was shy and as meek as a church mouse. It was understandable though. He was always ostrasized at school since he had two dads. That wasn't why Sydney didn't interact with him though. Their paths just rarely crossed, they had Applied Math together but that was all and they never spoke during it.

"Yeah, Hey Spencer." She waved, a little weirded out by this whole ordeal.  
"Hi." He peeped and waved back. He didn't look her in the eye once, though.  
"Why don't you two go inside together? Spencer still doesn't really know his way around."  
"Okay." Sydney didn't really care. "Thanks for the ride, Dad." She opened the car door and took her backpack from the car floor.  
"Hey, where's my kiss?" Gavin asked, cluelessly. Sydney checked around before leaning in and giving her Dad a quick kiss on the cheek. "Have a good day, Syd." He waved as she slammed the car door.

"What are you doing, Dad?" Spencer couldn't believe how embaressing both his fathers could be.  
"I'm trying to help you. You said you weren't any good at making friends."  
"You're not any help." Spencer stepped out of the car with his backpack already on his back.  
"Look, I've known Mr. Mason since I was a kid, I've known Sydney since she was a baby. She's nice, just try and be friendly, okay?"  
"Whatever." 

Marco sighed, feeling like a complete and total failure.

Spencer walked away from the vechile and in complete silence he and Sydney Mason wandered into the hectic halls of Degrassi.

"So, seriously, Gavin, how you doing?" Marco hadn't seen Gavin since Gavin's wife funeral at the begining of Winter Break.  
"I'm okay." He nodded, trying to be assuring.  
"Val was such a fabulous girl."  
"Yes, she was." Staring out his dashboard, he nodded. This whole conversation was reeking of awkwardness but, somehow, Marco was oblivious to that.  
Thankfully, an impaitent driver behind Marco began to honk non-stop.  
"I better go." He checked in his rear view mirror. "I'll see you around, though?"  
"Sure. Bye, Marco."  
"Bye Gavin." He drove away as quick as he could.

Gavin rested his head back on the chair. He thought he was doing alright but the truth was, he did miss his wife. He was fine when he didn't think about it but that was a rare occasion. He opened his eyes and stared out the windshield only to see the familiar face of Paige Michaealchuck now Paige Bicknell walking over to his car.

"Good morning, your honour." He teased. He was proud that she had fufilled her job of becoming a lawyer. Not to mention, an extremly successful one.  
"Hey Chef Mason." She smiled. She reached inside the vechile and wrapped her arms around him to give him a comforting hug. It was akin to the one she gave him at Val's funeral. He patted her on the back, touched but again, awkwarded out. "How's Sydney doin'?" She asked, as she pulled out of the window.  
"Actually, I don't really know. She doesn't leave the house at all, really. Occasionally, but not really." He tried to explain but he finally admitted the truth, "I'm worried about her."  
"Me too." Paige looked ahead and watched Giselle trench up the stairs and into her school. "She hasn't come over in awhile and Giselle says that she won't return her phone calls." Both Paige and Gavin were happy that though they'd been through thousands of hardships through their teenage years that their kids could become best friends. Giselle and Sydney had been best buddies since daycare.  
"I'm encouraging to go out with her friends but, she doesn't seem interested."  
"What if I could conjure up a girls night for them? I could take them to the spa, get their nails done, maybe talk to her."  
"That'd be great if you could get her to agree, too."  
"Are you doubting my convincing skills? You should know of all people, Gavin, nobody refuses Paige."  
He chuckled.  
"Alright, you work your magic because I haven't been able to do anything with mine."  
"I will. I have to rush to work though. I'll see you around?"  
"Goodbye, Paige."  
"Have a good day." She waved as she trotted back to her car. 

"Sydney!" Giselle called while running through the crowded hallways. She shoved her way through the masses of students. It was a miracle she didn't slip on any slude, since her winter boots had no traction whatsoever. She finally caught Sydney at the locker they shared. "What do I have to do to get your attention?"   
"Sorry, I'm just preoccupied."  
"It's the first day back, what could be on your mind already?"  
Giselle and Sydney had always been best friends and Sydney hoonestly believed nothing would ever change that but, lately she really felt like she was growing apart from her best friend. Giselle didn't know how to be empathetic and Sydney didn't know how to pretend she didn't need support.  
"Anyways," Giselle babbled on. "I tried calling you a lot over the break. Where'd you banish to?"  
"I was just busy."  
"I'll say. So, do you want to hang out tonight, maybe?"  
"Giselle, It's Wendsday."  
"You and I have pulled all nighters on Monday's, what's gotten into you?" Sydney wasn't ready to confess. She burrowed her head in her locker in search of a textbook. "Is it your mom, Syd?" Giselle couldn't understand that. She'd never lost anyone close to her, before. "Shouldn't you be over that by now? It's been, like, a month."

Sydney couldn't believe she was hearing those words in reality, ecspecially from her best friend.  
"You're right." She shook her head and the feeling of disbelief. "I'm just being selfish." She tried to convince herself.  
"Hey girls!" Colleen yelled from accross the hallway. Giselle and Sydney were the only two sophmores who ever got to hang out with Colleen and her posse. Usually, Sydney glorified that truth but lately, she didn't care.  
"I'm going to first period." Sydney wandered away leaving the locker free for Giselle's use.

"See, Alex, now we're late. Great." Jay Hogart, not your typical family man, threw his hands on the steering wheel.  
"It's not mom's fault, Dad." Jayson Jr spoke up from the backseat. "I screwed up the gasket on her car." All four of the Hogart family were squishedinto Jay's sunfire.  
Alex shot her son a look to shut up through the mirror. She cared too much for her son to let him deal with the wrath of his father.  
"Do you want to pay for it then? Do you want to do the labour on it?"  
Jayson bit his tounge to the side and averted his eyes away from the angry eyes on his dad.  
Alex pulled a pack of cigarettes from the glove compartment and handed one to her husband. He wasn't always like this, she said to herself.  
He lit it between his lips and let the smoke smooth it's path through out the vechile.  
"I didn't think so. Now get out, you two are late."  
"Bye Mom." Tori slid out of the car and reached for her purse. "Bye Dad."   
Alex waved meekly at her baby girl but Jay didn't mutter a word. Tori would never know it but her Dad cared for her.  
"You want to be a drop out or something?" Jay hissed at his son who had surprisingly made his way to his senior year in high school.  
"Don't go wishful thinking now, I don't want to be anything like you." He shot and then reached for the car door, quickly.  
Jay tossed his head around with one shot and grabbed Jayson Jr by the collar.  
"You think you're a tough guy? Cause you can talk shit but you sure as hell are still a pansy."  
"Jay, please." Alex tugged at her husband's arm. "We both have to go to work."  
Reluctantly, Jay let go of his son. Jayson freed himself from the car and kicking snow up the front steps he wandered into Degrassi.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Jay?!" Alex hissed. She knew she shouldn't start anything but standing up for her children was the only thing she was doing right these days.  
"Now, you're going to get on my case? This should be cute." He teased her.   
"I should know better. I should call Paige Michaelchuck-Bicknell up right now and follow in the steps of your friend Sean's wife and file for divorce."  
Jay slammed his breaks down and they both jolted foreword.  
"First of all, Sean Cameron is not my friend and secondly, you wouldn't divorce me because no lawyer is going to let two children stay with a mother who can't manage to stay off the bottle."  
"I wouldn't drink, if I hadn't married you."  
Jay pulled over on the side of the freeway, cutting off two speeding cars.  
"Get out." He commanded.  
"My office is on the otherside of town."  
"You should've thought about that before you fucked up your car."  
"Jay, I know you're too cowardly to talk about this but you need help. You can't keep beating on Jayson-"  
"I don't beat our son!" He objected.  
"Or picking on Tori."  
"I don't - Oh," He sighed deeply. "Alex, you have a very active imagination. It shocks me that you're not more than just sales clerk."  
"I can handle you using me as a punching bag but if you so much as lay a hand on my kids again, you will consider yourself lucky to be in jail, alright?" She set her midnight eyes into his. She gave him her death stare and thought it scared him a little, he just reached foreword and pushed her door open.  
"Get out, you're already late." He spat out.  
Without a thought, she unlatched the seatbelt and stepped out of the car. He didn't even wait for her to close the door, he just sped off, smoke still between his lips. 

_Read and review please. I've got a lot of ideas for this so I hope somebody enjoys it._

_This Time Around - Helen Stellar_

_Could I Be You - Matchbox 20_


	2. Strong Enough To Break

Chapter Two: Strong Enough to Break

Sitting down at her desk, Emma couldn't believe it. It was the first day of school post-winter break and she had appointments up the wazoo. There was nothing she loved more than her job. Being the school guidance counsoler made her feel like she was helping herself by helping other people and there was nothing to frown upon when it came to that honesty. She had just settled into everything when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in." Her voice rang as sweet as it was known for.

The door creaked slightly while opening. The noise from the halls pushed inside her office with one foreword motion. A girl with an estimated height of 5'2" was standing in the crack.

"Come on in." Emma looked up and smiled. She knew who this girl was, she'd seen he rin the halls and taught her in a few health classes. The girl cautiously walked in and quickly closed the door behind her. "Have a seat." Emma nodded towards the four leather chairs sitting in her office. The girl chose the one closet to the window and Emma relocated herself to one closet to the door. She'd been trained to give a client their space when they need it and this girl definitly needed it. Since Emma had gotten closer to the girl she noticed more about her physical appearance. She didn't look like she was a bone rack but she didn't look like a balloon, either. She wasn't average, either. The girl was dressed in a man's sweatshirt and jeans, so it wasn't easy to tell what her shape was exactly. It was hard to pin her down. Her complexion was an unhealthy pale color that made her already copper eyes appear even darker. She had her hair up in a teeny pony tail and wasn't wearing very much make-up, either.

Finally, the sophmore peeled her eyes away from the sun forcing itself on the snow outside and looked over at Emma, who was going over her files on the student.

"So, you called me down here?" She asked in a bored tone.

"Yes, Penelope Cameron, I haven't talked to you since, I don't know, third grade, maybe?"

"I heard you talk about World Aids day in September." Penny shrugged her shoulders, limply.

"I meant in private."

"You're busy." Penny made an excuse for Emma which wasn't unreasonable at all.

"That's true but I've always got time for you, you know, if you want to girl-talk."

"Is that what you called me down for? To talk about eyeshadow colors and what happened on last night's episode of Veronica Mars?"

Emma had to laugh at his girls stubborn streak, it was exactly like Sean Cameron's.

"So, how are things going for you at home?"

"Can we just cut to the chase? I don't mean to be rude, but, it's the first day back, I don't want to miss anything."

"I admire your persitance when it comes to your academics, Penelope, I promise you won't fall behind in any way. I've gotten a lot of e-mails from teachers, they're all extremely concerned for you."

"They really shouldn't be." All of Penny's body tightened, she hoped they didn't know more about her then she wanted to expose.

"They say your behavior's changing, drastically. They say you rarely speak in class anymore which was uncommon before, you're distant, you often fall asleep in class, they think you might be mal-nourished," Emma read off her list. "You're more disoreinted."

"I'm a teenager, I'm allowed to be a little discumbobulated."

"I totally agree, Penelope, but they're teachers, they're allowed to be a little concerned." Emma had got Penelope there. "Look, I used to be really good friends with your father -"

"That's the understatement of the century."

"So, you're aware that your father and I dated years ago?"

"I've heard about the highlights and such."

"That doesn't make this uncomfortable for you?"

"Not more than it already is." Penny had Emma there.

"Alright. Look, I go to the PTA meetings, I hear all the mom's gossiping, divorce is extremely tough. But, it's rate is increasing at an unbelievable rate, you're not alone."

"I'm not upset that my parents are getting a divorce, Miss Nelson."

"Call me Emma. So, it doesn't bug you at all?"

"Not really." She shook her head and slid her feet onto the chair. "My mom was always picking on my dad, just nagging and well, you know Sean." Emma scoffed, she knew Sean very well. Though, they hadn't really had a conversation in years, she felt like he was still a part of her life. "Plus, my brothers both add so much stress into their lives, I probably do, too. Anyways, I think they just grew sick of each other and I'd rather them not be together then be together but be unhappy."

"You think you stress your parents out?"

"It's not a secret."

"How have things changed for you since the divorce?"

"They aren't divorced yet. It's still just a seperation, they'll be offically divorced in a matter of weeks."

"Sorry, but have things changed?"

"Some things, I guess." She shrugged her shoulders again.

"How so?"

"Zac -"

"Your oldest brother?"

"Yeah, he's at home even less and school, too. Not that he ever showed up a lot, but now it's even less. Cody's kind of becoming more distant, too."

"Your other brother?"

"Yeah. I guess, I've been busier at home. My dad doesn't know how to cook, well he does, just not very well. So, I cook all the meals and buy the groceries. I try to keep the place clean and do the laundry but, it's tough. I just don't want my dad to have a heart attack, you know." Emma smiled at everything this little girl was saying. She obviously cared immensely for her father. Emma could relate, she knew first hand how it feels to adore Sean Cameron. "Between his business, my angst obbsessed brothers and the divorce, I think he's really on edge. Well, I know he is."

"You know, it's not your job to take over and put everything on your shoulders, Penelope. You have to still be a kid."

"I am. I've just got more responsibilty now."

"Does that bug you?"

"Not really." Penelope didn't have to think about it. She didn't care, either way.

"You remind me a lot of your dad, you know?"

"People have said I have everything but his temper." She giggled.

"You should be very grateful for that. Sean is a man with a lot of charm but his angry streak isn't one of them."

"I agree."

"I'm going to get right down to the core of this, Penelope. Teachers are worried about your eating. They think with all the stress that the divorce and your home life are giving you, that maybe you've stopped eating."

"I'm not starving myself, if that's what you're trying to get to."

"Are you eating less or skipping lunches? Breakfast?"

"Sure, sometimes, I don't have time to eat all three meals but I grab a snack here and there."

"Do you feel like you're losing all control, Penelope?"

This whole thing was getting more and more uncomfortable at a rapid pace. The last thing Penny wanted to do was cry.

"Can I just go, please?" Penny asked. "I really don't want to miss my classes today."

Reluctantly, Emma agreed. She sighed because she could see where this girl was headed. She saw herself inside this crumbling sophmore but, she didn't want to overwhelm her either. She asked to schedule another appointment for a week later at the same time. Penelope then was excused.

The cafeteria was filled with laughing and hormone filled teenagers. It was hard to recognize one from another. Emma strolled through the rows of tables and sea of children. She finally found her next "victim" as she jokingly called them.

Sydney was sitting at a table with Colleen, Giselle and the other girls who wouldn't walk outside without their hair volumized to it's limit. However, she wasn't in her usual position, indulging in the conversation and gossiping with the girls till the lunch bell. She was biting into a pear and flipping through a Seventeen magainze mindlessly. She didn't care about it's contents, she just wanted to look occupied.

"Hi girls." Emma smiled as she approached the end of their table. All at once, their conversation over boys came to a crashing hault and all of their sparkling eyes stared up at Emma. Emma reminded herself that she never wanted to repear high school. "I was wondering if I could speak to you, Sydney." She slid past their eyes and kept her focus on Sydney Mason. Sydney didn't look up but was now looking away from the magazine. "Sydney?" Emma persted on.

"Hold on." Sydney mumbled. She slipped the magazine into her backpack and then threw it over her shoulders.

"Thanks." Emma led her away from the group. "See you, girls." She grinned and was satisfied with the knowledge that she was now their conversation topic. Emma noticed that Sydney was wearing skinny jeans and just a plain tee shirt with a graphic of Rainbow Brite character on the front. Usually, Sydney would wear skin tight jeans and a shirt that didn't leave so much to the imagination. Also, her sandy blonde locks were flatter and her make up was less glamorus, just low key. Emma liked the change, even though it provoked thought and worry.

Emma led them both into her office and set the appointment up the same way she did with Penelope Cameron. They both seaten themseleves on a leather chair and sat in a silence for a brief second.

"Do you want a candy or anything? I've got skittles in my desk."

"No, thanks." Sydney shook her head.

"Alright. So I guess you're wondering why I pulled you in here, eh? You're thinking, it's the first day, what did I do wrong?" Softly, Emma smiled and illuminated her whole face. Sydney had seen pictures of Emma in her dad's old yearbooks, it really didn't surprise her that she was beautiful at all.

"No. I know why you called me in here." Sydney was surprisingly normal. Emma was a little surprised, not that she pegged Sydney Mason for clueless or anything. "You want to make sure I'm alright since my mom passed away. You want to tell me that the funeral service was beautiful and that you're here for me."

"Well, more or less." Emma couldn't argue.

"Well, honestly, I'm not alright and I thought the service was just how my mom would've wanted it just with more tears. And I'm well aware that you're here for me but, I don't know if I'm ready to just deal with everything right now."

Emma was really impressed with Sydney. She'd never really spoken with her before but she couldn't believe that Spinner Mason had raised such an independent and strong young woman.

"That is justifiable, Sydney, without a doubt. We don't have to resolve this all right now, we don't have to resolve anything at all. I just wanted to make sure you know that when you do want to figure out pieces of it, there is a whole school of people here who are more than happy to help you."

"Cool." Sydney nodded and then pulled her attention to the kids playing outside in the snow. Then quickly she returned her attention back at Emma. "I mean, I knew that but it's still nice to hear."

Both blonde girls just sat there content and pondering about what the next step was in complete silence.

Unfortuantly, their comfortable silence was interuppted when the door flew open and the principal of Degrassi flew open the office door.

"I'm with a client right now." Emma informed the principal.

"Come quick, there's a fight." He darted away down the hallway. Both Sydney and Emma stood up and immeaditly headed out to check it out.

Read and Review, please.

I know it's a slow moving story but, I have a lot of ideas to put into it and I want it to be more realistic not just one of those "They met, fell in love, fought a lot, and made love" stories. I want it to have character development and all sorts of different scenarios. **Also, as it moves on, their will be more focus on the Degrassi characters not just the kids.**

_Strong Enough To Break - Hanson_


	3. Superman's Dead

**THIS TIME AROUND**

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Degrassi, I made up some of these characters though.

Chapter Three: Superman's Dead

Emma followed Principal Denver through the gathered crowd of students. She politely excused her way up to the front. Sure enough, two well built boys were tossing around, throwing punches and seeing who could make who lose more blood. Principal Denver and one of the Phys Ed teachers tried ripping one of the boys away and that's when Emma realized who it was. Cody Cameron had blood dripping from his sore nose and had to flicker to see through his left eye. He didn't fight the principal or the teacher, he just huffed to catch his breath. Emma tossed her head around the crowd and noticed Penny already up front getting her front row ticket to watching her brother get escorted away. She looked perplexed but not upset. She seemed completely used to all this and it didn't really phase her. The other boy's shouting distracted Emma.

"Pussy!" He yelled. "You're just a pansy, Cameron!" The boy yelled.

"That's enough." Emma stepped foreword and with much force she let out her assertive side. She grabbed the boy, who she'd seen around the halls but never known, by the arm and started to escort him.

She waited outside the principal's office with both the boys to make sure they didn't start a re-match while waiting for their parents. She still hadn't figured out who the other boy was until a very familiar voice boomed behind her.

"Jayson Hogart, what the hell is so important that I have to leave work early and pick you up, huh?"

"Mr. Hogart." Emma stood up and extended her arm to shake hands with an old acquaintance, Jay Hogart. She hadn't had anything to do with him since her senior year at Degrassi and that was more than fine with her. "I'm the school guidance counselor, could you come meet with Principal Denver's office with me? We need to discuss your son's behavior."

"I don't have time, Emma. What happened?"

"Your son and Mr. Cameron started a fight right in the middle of the halls after lunch."

"Sean Cameron and my son were fighting?" Jay couldn't believe that.

"No." Emma shook her head. "Sean Cameron's son, Cody Cameron." She stepped to the side to show the two guilty boys.

"You better believe me, boy, I'm going to kill you." Cody assumed that Jay's comment was directed at him but for all anyone knew it could've been meant for Jayson.

"There will be severe consequences, I assure you, Mr. Hogart, but death is not one of them." Emma stepped back in. "Please, come into the office and talk with us."

Before Jay could make another comment, Sean jogged into the picture.

"Cody, what happened?" He didn't even notice Emma or Jay. "Come on, what did you do?"

"Mr. Cameron." Emma had to swallow the large lump in her throat to say that. She felt incredibly awkward in this position. It was like deja vu. The moment their eyes locked even Sean felt something though he couldn't articulate it. Lucky for him, he was able to avoid concentrating on this new feeling by glaring down Jay. "Your son and Mr. Hogart's son both got into a fight this afternoon." Emma couldn't find it in herself to make eye contact with Sean. She glanced down at the two boys sitting on opposite ends of a wooden bench. "Keep that ice there, Jayson." She addressed him. "Anyways -" However, before she could continue to talk to the two fathers they were already in each other's faces.

"If you just kept your lame excuse for a son locked up, maybe, my son wouldn't have to defend himself!" Jay shot. He was standing only centimeters away from Sean's face that Emma could see the spit leave his lips and land in Sean's face.

"Well, you might want to spend less time with a whiskey bottle in your hand and more time with your son. I don't know why Cody would waste his energy on a Hogart!" Sean shot back just as hastily.

"Boys!" Emma stomped her heel on the ground. She couldn't believe the testosterone levels in the room. "Look, I was going to try and be professional about this but, for everyone's sake, I'll just be blunt. Both your sons are suspended for three days. They can return to school on Monday. They'll also have to report to me whenever I request, no matter what, and if this is ever to happen again, believe you me, the outcome will be a whole lot different." She flipped her head around to glare at Cody and Jayson. "Consider yourselves lucky."

"Yes, Miss Nelson." Cody held his head down. His eye was swollen now.

"Why should my kid get suspended? This is clearly Cody's doing."

"Please, Mr. Hogart, there's been enough fighting for one day, don't you think?" Emma turned away from all four boys before she was forced to talk to Sean anymore. That whole time, she felt like she was in high school again and was trying to save him once again. It was too much for her to take. She needed to get back into her office and focus on something she was good at.

"Move it, Cody." Sean nodded at his son. Cody stood up and wandered right past Mr. Hogart's death stare over to his father. They began to walk to the front of Degrassi, Jayson and Mr. Hogart a few paces behind them. They walked towards the same place where they first fought and noticed a crowd had gathered again.

"What the hell is going on here?" Jay said aloud

Spencer Del Rossi was standing in the mist of the gossiping teenagers, staring blankly at his defaced locker. Written in large capital letters in masking tape was the word "FAG".

I should've saw this coming. He thought to himself.

He never got the chance to make friends at Degrassi, people were always so petty as to judge him by his parents, his two dads, Marco and Dylan. His parents always told him not to let it get to him or to be proud but they honestly just didn't get it. He wasn't proud and there wasn't very many realistic ways to not let it get to him. The group of kids were snickering, whispering, a few were chuckling.

In the very back of the crowd, Tori pulled away from her posse of friends. She knew what it was like to be the target of something hateful and to feel completely ostracized and alone. She knew first hand, she was Jay Hogart's daughter. However, she hadn't the slightest idea that her dad was in the building and spectating. She pressed her back against Spencer's vandalized locker and darted her hazel eyes into his lonesome face.

"Kiss me." She ordered in a hush tone.

"What?"

"Do it. Right now. Kiss me." Spencer could tell she really mean it. She had a look of complete seriousness. He stepped foreword and casted away his fear and shame and just planted his lips over hers. They stood there in front of their audience that was now even more engrossed, just kissing each other like they had spoke to each other many times before, when really this was the first time.

Jay Hogart couldn't believe it. His prejudice side, his only side, was angry, embarrassed and full of all sorts of cynical thoughts for many assorted people. His daughter, his family, Spencer's family. He walked away from his son, who was also in shock, and ripped his daughter from Spencer. Without a word he dragged both his kids from his old high school.

"What the fuck is the matter with you two?" He asked loudly. He was ready to roar. Both Jayson and Tori didn't know what to say to their father. They didn't even know how to tell their dad simple things and these things were far from simplicity. Tori was shaking in the chill of the January afternoon but was too meek to ask her dad for permission to go back in and get her winter jacket. "Are you trying to make my life a living hell? 'Cause, I tell ya', you're succeeding." He walked around his car and opened up the driver side door. "Well, get in!" Tori waited to see if her brother would go in first. She wasn't about to face "The Jay Hogart" alone. "Get your asses in here!" He yelled. Cody and Sean watched from behind while getting into their car and couldn't help but feel a rush of empathy for Tori and Jayson and a little bit uncomfortable all together. Jay stomped up the steps and tightly grabbed his daughter by the arm and pulled her into the back seat of the car. "If I have to carry you over my shoulder, son, I will." Jay threatened, reluctantly; Jayson dragged himself over to the car and got in the front seat. "I'm trying to figure out what I'm more upset about, having to come down here early 'cause you let one of Sean Cameron's sons sucker punch you or the fact that you're kissing queers." He drove out of the Degrassi parking lot at a rapid pace.

Under his breath, Jayson muttered "Whatever."

"What's that? You got something to say?" Jay peered his wild eyes into the peripherals of his sons'. "I didn't think so."

He sighed deeply and shook his head from side to side. With one hand still on the wheel, he lit a cigarette between his lips.

"Man, you just wait till I tell your mom."

"Mom won't give a damn." Jayson Jr. spoke up. "She'll be do busy trying to help you up the stairs to deal with anything else."

"Watch your mouth." Jay snapped.

"Seriously, you're the last person who should be lecturing me about how I disappoint you or screw up your day."

"You better watch it, you're walking a fine line here, boy."

"What you going to slap me? I've handled you before." Jayson scoffed and shifted himself in his sat, so he could stare out the passenger window. After a brief silence, Jay checked through the mirror on Tori.

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

In a hostile tone, Tori spoke "I think I did the right thing."

"So, how are we going to talk about this?" Sean took a large exhale in and addressed the middle Cameron child.

"We're not." Cody blankly stared out the windshield at the frosty weather and thought about how he might've pulled his arm.

"This is the second time you've started something with that kid, what's going on?"

"Forget it, Dad."

"I'm not going to let this go, Cody! Damnit!" He slammed his palms down on the steering wheel. "I get called out of the shop by your Principal telling me I better get over to Degrassi to pick you up and have a word with the school counselor -"

"Who just so happens to be your ex-girlfriend, I know, and too bad for you."

"You know, I could kick your ass right now. I'm trying to do this the right way."

"Why? That's not the Cameron way. You're supposed to just fly off the handle and be a dick, Dad, it's what you do."

Penny was over the events of the school day by the time she walked out of the school. Cody was always starting fights, even with his own group of friends, he was always brooding around and causing trouble. It also didn't surprise her that he was fighting with Jayson Jr. Jayson was just as notorious for fighting and the two had never got along. Penny went over the rest of the day in her head, she had to go to work, pick up as many groceries as they had the money for, and cook dinner. She told herself that she'd try and do some laundry if time permitted and maybe that history assignment, too.

She pulled her hair back into a neater pony tail and took off her sweat shirt to reveal just a plain black tee shirt. Her dad didn't have a uniform for her to wear when working at the desk of his auto body shop, as long as she didn't look like she had just rolled out of bed. She noticed before anything else that her oldest brother wasn't around. He was still M.I.A, in the back of her mind she was worried but she tried to keep it covered. She sat down at the desk and pulled out her history textbook and began to read. She hadn't even gotten to the second paragraph when her Dad peered over her shoulder.

"Hey, I didn't see you come in."

"Yeah, I came in the front today. I was a few minutes early."

"Alright." He was washing some grime and grease from his hands with a dirty rag. "So, how was your first day back?"

"Like any other day. Work's been good?"

"Steady." He nodded while looking around. "You know the winter time; nobody takes care of their cars properly."

"No kidding." She looked around at the dents and scrapes on just the shell of the cars in the shop.

"So, I was talking to Cody earlier." He cleared his throat twice. "I don't know what's going on with him."

"He's just Cody." Penny knew it was more but she wasn't going to dig into the meat of it with her Dad, at least not right at that moment.

"Yeah. Anyways, he mentioned you were called down to the counselors office."

"Yeah, I was." She nodded and stared back down at her textbook.

"Everything okay?"

"Miss Nelson says hi." Penny lied through her teeth. She'd give bones for their conversation to end. Truthfully, she didn't know what was going on with her and if Emma couldn't help her the chances that her dad could were very slim.

"Did she? Emma said hi?" That made Sean way too happy and he couldn't hide it. "She's a nice, uh, woman, anyways, what's going on with you?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Penny, I'm your dad, I'm going to worry about you no matter what." He convinced her. He tossed the rag to the side and nodded for her to follow him. He picked up a ratchet and stood beneath a Honda Civic pulling at the wires near the breaks. "So, why did Emma want to see you?"

"Oh, you know… teen stuff." She shrugged staring down at the tips of her sneakers.

"Can you hand me the six inch?" He handed her the ratchet and they switched. "But, everything's okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. She just wanted to make sure I was cool. She heard about the divorce."

"Are you serious? That's being spread around?"

"This is Degrassi, Dad." Penny slipped a few stray locks behind an ear and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Jeez, I can't believe this place sometimes."

"I should really get back to work." She tried to excuse herself as quick as possible. She could hear the bell from the door go off. Customers were as good as an excuse as any.

"Alright, but, Penny -" He called after her and she froze in her tracks. She slowly turned around with caution in her big brown eyes. "I know I'm not the most approachable person and these last few weeks I haven't been…" Sean couldn't find it in him to admit that he was being a real jerk lately, so he just convinced himself that he wasn't. He had to dart his eyes away from the same little girl who used to follow him around the auto shop with her hat on backwards like his. She'd grown up so quickly and in a way she had become a better person than he had. "Well, you know but, if you do need to talk some time." She could tell this was really tough for her Dad to say. "I'll listen."

"I know, Dad, I got to go though."

"Even if it's uncomfortable, even if it's about... you know, boys." Penny bursted into a loud chuckle. When she was in elementary school she invited their neighbor's son over, they were both just children and Sean had grilled the little boy with questions about his intentions and how big is bank account was. Sadly, the boy ran away in fear and tears. It turned out that any boy with only seventy two cents in his piggybank was not suitable to even walk home with Sean Cameron's daughter.

"Dad, no offence, but I think Mom's got the rights to those kind of conversations." Penny went on her way again.

"What?!" Sean pulled at the wires. "Why is that? Your mom hasn't even been around."

The last thing Penny wanted to get into was this. Their parents were more like children then the Cameron children. She wished she could've taken her words back right away, she was well aware of how sensitive the topic was with her father.

"Hey," Penny tapped one of the mechanics on the shoulder. "Could you get the door?" She took a seat on one of the stools beside the Honda her dad was working on. She knew he was just going to run wild on a tangent.

"Your mom left, she doesn't want our life she doesn't get it, okay? Now, you'll come to me with all your boy problems, you got it?"

It was unfathomable how bizarre her Dad was lately. He had intense PMS, Pissy-Man-Syndrome. Penny just nodded and wandered to give her Dad a quick peck on the cheek.

"I love you, Pop." She mumbled.

Sean's deep and exhausted eyes rested on his fifteen year old daughter. He watched her walk away and exhaled deeply. He wished he could figure himself out. Then he'd be able to glue his family back together.

Dropping her book bag at the front door, Sydney kicked her winter boots off and slowly wandered through her house. She always thought it was the vibrant colors that her mom had insisted on painting the walls of every room that made her house bright and effortlessly enthusiatic but she knew now that it had nothing to do with the paint colors. The bright cyan colored kitchen walls stared back at her staring at them but she didn't feel anything. They didn't strike her as loud and happy colors, they didn't really strike her at all.

She pressed her finger down on the big button on their answering machine and listened to the messages while going through the fridge. Since her dad was a top Toronto chef she never went hungry. She opened a ziploc bag of cashew peanuts dipped in semi-sweet white chocolate. It was just what she wanted after a long hum-drum day.

"Message 2:" The robotic voice let her know. "Hey Syd," It was her dad. "I need a favor. Both hostess are away sick tonight, could you come in and take a shift. Come around four, thanks." Beep.

Her eyes lurked around the room to see if there was something else she could indulge in. Her mom wasn't home, so they couldn't do their normal after-school routine. Usually, they'd eat some fantastic snack their dad had on hand, watch a round of Wheel of Fortune loudly guessing the puzzles and then her mom would drive her to her dance classes if it was a Monday or a Thursday. With nothing better to do, She stuffed the bag of cashews in her coat pocket and went back to putting her boots on. She was going to go to work.

After being bombarded at the door the moment she arrived home by her husband, Alex sat at their kitchen table brushing her hand over their St.Bernard dog and stirring whiskey, from the flask she hid in the pocket of her Wal-Mart vest, into her cup of tea.

"Are you even listening to me?" Jay outstretched his arms to the sides in a single rapid motion. Alex didn't say a word; she just screwed the cap of her flask back on and slipped into her uniform. "I'm not kidding, I can't take anymore of this shit." He finally took a break to inhale. "I'm going out for smokes. Talk to your kids before I get back."

"So before one am?" She called as he turned to leave their apartment.

"What?" He turned himself around to stare her down.

"That's when the bars close, isn't it?"

He just snorted.

"Enjoy your tea, Alex."

The moment the door slammed, she picked up her tea and headed down the tiny hallway that led to her daughter's room. Their apartment was barely quaint. One bedroom for Alex and Jay, one even smaller bedroom for Tori, a hideous washroom in desperate need of a good scrubbing, a kitchen nook and their living room which Jayson Jr. used as his bedroom.

Using her free hand, Alex knocked on Tori's door.

"Tori, open your door." She hissed. When there was no answer, she just knocked harder. "It's me, Tori. Please, I want to talk." Still, no answer. "Your dad's gone." She added in as if it was a selling feature. Slowly, moments later, the door creaked open. Tori trailed away and laid back on her bed. Her flaxen hair was messily displayed all over her tearstained face complete with smudged eye make-up and chapped lips. Alex sipped her tea while sitting on the edge of her daughter's unmade bed.

"I hope you know all of the things your dad says to you," Alex took a second to correct herself. "About you, they aren't true." Alex took Tori's sniffling as an answer. "He's just frustrated. He's working all these temp jobs, your brother is always testing him and getting into trouble, he's just stressed out."

"Mom, don't make excuses for Dad." Blankly, Tori stared to her left wall that had a few band posters covering the holes her dad had punched through. "Just say it, he's a dick." Alex smirked a little but tried not to let Tori notice. "Why'd you even marry him?"

There was a question Alex had been asked a lot lately, mostly, by herself. She sighed deeply trying to search for the proper thing a mother would say to her daughter, anything but the truth. She settled on the one thing she could think of that was beginning to sound like a cliché to both of her kids.

"One day, you'll understand."

"Whatever." Tori hissed. She tugged on the sleeve of her sweater and wiped it across her running nose then wiped away a few tears.

"So, let's get down to it, what exactly happened today?" Alex set her tea mug on the floor by the bed and laid down next to Tori. She folded her hands over her chest and stared up at the boringly pale ceiling.

Tori's face broke into a mischievous smile. Truthfully, she wasn't a hundred percent sure on what happened. She just really wanted to follow through in something she believed in. She wanted to help somebody who was hurting mostly because she knew that she was hurting. However, it didn't seem like her mom would understand that.

"Spencer was just being bullied, so I -"

"Spencer who?"

"Del Rossi." Tori turned her face to face her mom, wiping her locks of hair away from her face.

"Marco and Dylan's kid?" She frowned her brows downward.

"Yeah, people are always picking on him. Calling him flamer, queer and stuff."

"It's understandable." Alex nodded.

"I know but that doesn't mean it's okay." Alex couldn't believe how much Tori sounded like a teacher. It sort of freaked her out. "Anyways, somebody wrote "FAG" on his locker, I don't know who or anything, and everybody was just standing around laughing and saying things. There stood Spencer just looking all embarrassed and angry and nobody was doing a damn thing, so -"

Alex had to cut her rambling daughter off.

"You kissed him?"

"I was taking action."

"By kissing him?" Alex asked once more. "In front of the entire school?"

"Not the entire school but, a good majority." Alex shook her head with a grin. "Mom, I don't see the comedy in this. Dad flew off the handle which is pretty normal for him but the least you could do is comfort me. Come on."

"It's just - Oh, Tori, kissing a queer is not going to stop people from talking. You should just stay out of things that are none of your business."

"So, I should've none nothing?"

"Yes." Alex reached down and picked up her drink. "Especially, if your dad is there."

"I didn't know he was there. I didn't even see Jayson and Cody's fight."

"Right, I have to go talk Jayson."

"Try to, at least." Tori added as her mom rose from the bed and headed for the door.

"And you try to get yourself together, okay? Your dad isn't going to be home for awhile, why don't you go out with some friends?"

"Maybe."

Tori had no desire to chill out with anybody. She just wanted to curl up under her moth eaten covers and sleep until her parents didn't exist. At least her dad. Even as a baby, she had no happy memories with him. He was always cold, angry, bitter and generally not positive characteristics. She slipped herself beneath her comforter and went back to sniffling.

Jayson inhaled a large drag from his cigarette and flicked the ashes off their balcony. Four floors above the world, he stared at his surroundings and felt more in control, stronger and bigger than everything else. Until the screen door slid open and his mother joined him in the winter breeze. She was shivering even beneath her open coat.

"Angry much?" She questioned, taking the cigarette being offered to her and then taking a drag.

"Nope." Jayson spat out. "I leave that up to Dad."

"And a fine job he did." She nodded, handing the cigarette back to her son. "Jayson, I might not know or understand this beef you've got with Sean Cameron's son but, you have got to stop with the fighting. I am no stranger to fighting, believe me." She wrapped her coat around with her arms over her chest. "I was the school bully for the longest time, I picked fights, I was the only girl who could throw a good punch, I even beat on boys. Plus, I married your father. But, for your sake, my sake and your sister's, just let it go. Ignore him. I don't care if you have to wear a blindfold and ear plugs to school. You will not fight with this kid again. If your dad hears about one more thing concerning you, he'll -"

"What?!" Jayson snapped and his exhausted eyes drilled viciously into hers. The idea that Jayson wasn't listening to her were quickly put to rest in Alex's mind. "He'll bitch you out or hit you? He'll kick me out of this shitbox? He'll go and pass out in some pub? Trust me, Mom, none of that bothers me anymore. It's the same as always now."

"I get that you're angry. I was the Queen of Teen Angst, but, is pissing off your dad going to make you any less angry?" He flicked more ashes from his cigarette and avoided all eye contact with her. "I am this close," She held two of her fingers only centimeters a part from one another. "To breaking down, if you have any respect at all for me, you will stop causing trouble. Jayson," She took a deep breath and watched it spin through the January air. "Just stop." She turned herself around and slid the screen door open again.

"I don't respect women who let their husbands beat on them." He muttered.

Of course, Alex could hear him clearly and usually she'd fight him for it but she couldn't bicker with somebody over the truth. She just slid the door closed and went back inside.

Coming home from work, Cody and Penny wandered through the door barely able to keep walking straight. They were exhausted and starving. Cody felt like he'd fixed a million cars that evening and Penny was bored mostly out of boredom since few customers actually needed to paper work done which was all her dad would let her do at the shop. She made a mental note in her head while yawning to pick up groceries tomorrow. As for making dinner, she'd just make do with what they had. They both noticed their oldest brother, Zac, laying on the couch, passed out and his play-doh jar he used for keeping weed empty on the coffee table next to his glass bong and other plastic baggies. Cody just walked right by him and straight into the basement where his and Zac's bedroom was. Penny glanced out the front window to make sure their dad was still parking the car. Standing in front of Zac, she didn't bother to move his shaggy dark blonde hair from his face. She grabbed his shoulders and began to shake him.

"Come on, Zac." She shook him harder. She didn't want her Dad to see him, it would only start a wrestling match, at least verbally. Slowly, his eyes began to work slits and she could see a little bit of his hazel pupils.

"Penny?" He moaned, reaching his hand up and slid it beneath his nose.

"Zac, get up. Dad's going to be here in a second and I can't take anymore fighting. Please, go down to the basement."

As soon as she'd finished her plea, the door swung open. She heard the melodic jingling of her dad's car keys hit the floor in his jacket and then heard him yawn.

"Penny, I'll make dinner tonight, don't you worry about it." Sean was trying to still be a good parent. After kicking off his shoes, he looked up and noticed Zac very out of it and slouched on their living room couch. Penny watched her dad grumble over with a frown that gave her goose bumps all over her flesh. Her big brown eyes expanded until they were as big as the saucers she used to use for the tea parties she'd throw for her dad and stuffed rabbits.

"Penny, go." Her dad spoke robotically without removing his eyes from Zac. Hesitantly, she wandered into the kitchen and stood with her back to the wall. She wanted to make sure nobody got hurt.

"Where the hell have you been?" His feet firmly on the floor, Sean shot out at his oldest boy.

"I had shit to take care of." Zac yawned.

"You didn't think to call? I needed you at the shop today, you knew that." Sean ran one hand down his long messy locks of hair. He took a large inhale before wasting anymore of his breath. "Were you even at school today?" Zac completely opened his eyes and blinked rapidly to try and stay conscious. "Jesus, Zac, do you not want to pass your senior year till your thirty? Is this all just a joke to you?"

"Maybe, Degrassi is pretty damn funny." He snorted.

"Don't be a smartass." Sean spat.

"Fine, I'll be a dumbass."

"So, what's this stuff that you had to take care of? Sean questioned while clearing his throat. He glanced down and took into account all the things spread out on his coffee table. "This? You had to stay here and get high out of your fucking face?!" He raised his voice. The sound of her father's rage and his foot kicking the wooden coffee table over made Penny's whole body clench and shake. She bit her lips to prevent the tears that she knew were going to fall anyways. "You know what, I gave you time, I gave you plenty of warnings, Zac, this is it." He smacked his hands together. "I want you out!" He yelled. "Get the fuck out of this house." By the shoulder of Zac's flannel shirt, he pulled him up. "Take your shit and get out!" Sean shouted right up in his son's face, his fists and face shaking in frustration. When he finally let go, Zac just laughed.

"Asshole." He muttered while stepping aside.

It took every ounce of self-control Sean could conjure up to not spring foreword and tackle his boy down. Zac took nothing, he just slipped on his sneakers and slammed the door behind him.

Sean had to take a moment to gather himself and level his breathing before carrying on with his night. Slowly, he dragged his feet into the kitchen where Penny was hunched over their stove. She had lighten a small flame beneath the element and was cooking something in a pot over top of it. Sean took a seat at the table, where the junk he had dumped on it earlier still lay, and held his head. Once he cleared his mind, he could hear Penny sniffling.

"Penny, what-" She cut him off.

"I'm making Mac and cheese." She exhaled deeply while rubbing her eyes.

"Penny, I said-"

"It'll be ready in ten minutes." She swallowed and went to the cupboards to pull out bowls and glasses.

Later that evening, when Penny was completely certain that her dad was occupied with paper work in his bedroom and that Cody was asleep downstairs. She quietly threw her coat and winter boots on and with a Ziploc container full of her mac and cheese, she snuck out of the house.

Zac didn't have very many hang outs, only one or two. However, Penny knew where he'd be tonight. It was already two in the morning and Zac would need somewhere to sleep. She unlocked the back door of her dad's auto body shop and let herself in. She knocked on the window of the Honda Civic she'd seen her dad working on earlier and, sure enough, Zac was laying down and almost asleep in the front seat. He rolled down the window, manually.

"What are you doing here, Penny?"

"I just wanted to make sure you had something to eat." She extended her hands out with the Ziploc container for him to take.

"Thanks." He smiled and took it from here, graciously.

"There's probably some form of cutlery somewhere in here."

"Okay." He pulled off the lid and smiled.

"I'll work on Dad, okay?"

"Don't worry about it, Penny."

"But, I do." She mumbled, mostly inaudible.

"You better go back home before you get kicked out, too."

Penny searched herself for the right words to say but, she found nothing. She just pecked him on the cheek and let herself out.

Jayson Jr. had his headphones plugged into his ears and his metal music bleeding loudly but, that couldn't block out the noise of his parents fumbling through the door. His dad was clearly loaded and his mom was only buzzed. Alex had all of Jay's weight pressing on her, as she pulled her keys from the apartment door lock.

Laughing, she requested her son's help.

"Just get him to the bedroom." She passed him off to Jayson, who was luckily built enough to drag his dad into bed.

"Hey Junior." Jay slurred his speech. "Beat up any other losers while I was out?"

Jayson said nothing and just laid him down on his parents dirty and unmade bed. Jayson only went in their for situations like these. Their room depressed him with the holes in the walls made from his dad or the broken chair in the corner that his mom had broke when trying to throw it at Jay's head in a tirade or the taped up window that Jayson couldn't remember the story behind. It was a pathetic sight.

"What, you're not going to gi- gi-," Jay tried to annunciate. "Give me, give me any crap? Piss me off?" He cackled.

"Go to bed." Jayson rolled his eyes and turned his music up even louder. The whole world could've heard it if it was all still and silent in unison for a moment. Shutting the door behind him, Jayson was on his way to try and sober up his mom when he noticed Tori's door was slightly open. He peeked his head in and when he saw that she was still very much awake, he closed it. He didn't want her to get up and play a role in any of this. It was just another night to them both.

More coming up.

Let me know if you want other people in this such as: Peter, Jimmy, Ashley, Darcy, etc.

Superman's Dead - Our Lady Peace

Thanks.


	4. History Repeats Itself

Chapter Four: History Repeats Itself.

Leaving the steps of Degrassi, Sydney zipped up her jacket and tried her best to brave the snow. She couldn't help but notice Jayson Hogart sitting in the driver's seat of his car.

He must be waiting for his sister. She thought to herself and accidentally made eye contact with him.

"Hey, Cindy, right?" He said when he'd rolled his window down completely.

"Sydney." She corrected as she made the mistake of stopping in front of his car.

"Right. Did you see Tori in there?"

"Yeah, she was at her locker, I think." She said in a hushed tone.

"Good. She can be so slow, man." He tapped the side of his car.

"I guess." She forced a smile and then walked on. As she passed his window, he reached out and grabbed her wrist.

"Hey, some of us are going to be down in the ravine tonight, going to be a bit of a party." He winked.

She just stood completely silent while waiting for him to release her.

"I'm inviting you, Cindy."

"Thanks." She fished her hand out of his grip. His smirk was hungry and directed right at her frightened self. "I got to go to work." She excused herself. He watched her through his mirror as she walked away, a little set off.

"What the hell are you doing talking to Sydney Mason?" He hadn't even noticed Tori sliding into the passenger seat.

"What took you so long?"

"I thought your engine was busted or something."

For a brother and a sister, they didn't communicate well at all.

"I tinkered with it a little. I've had a lot of time on my hands."

"People who've been suspended usually do." She shot, as he began to drive off.

A plastic blue basket around her arm, Penny strolled aisle four of the market. She had ten minutes before she had to be at work and she was determined to buy some groceries for her family. She wasn't sure how much money was in her wallet but she was positive it wouldn't be very much. A total of four items lay in her basket: a small carton of 1 milk, two cans of alphagetti and a bag of apple slices. The market wasn't packed seeing as people were still at work at 3:15 pm, so there was no line at all at the check out. She put her four items down and pulled her wallet out of her backpack.

"Your total comes to twenty dollars and thirty six cents." The elderly lady spoke in a chipper tone that Penny figured could brightened up a spooky alleyway.

"Oh, uh," Her heart dropped a little. "I only have twelve bucks." She searched her wallet for extra change - even a nickel.

"I'm sorry, suga'." The woman frowned but still spoke just as bright.

"I guess, I'll just get the milk and one alphagetti can." She handed the lady ten of her twelve bucks and then walked to work with her two grocery items. The plastic bag was as light as a feather where the heart she carried was as heavy as a paper weight.

Sitting at the front counter of Cameron's Auto Body shop, Penny tried to distract herself from her disappointment of not being able to provide for her family with work. She wrote out expenses both in-coming and out-going in her dad's leather ledger when the door rang open. She was concentrating so deeply, she didn't even look up.

"Excuse me." A young female voice cleared it's throat.

Finishing out an expense, Penny took a second to look up.

"Oh, hey Tori." She looked around her to make sure her Dad didn't see that one of Alex and Jay's kids was in or that Cody didn't see, either. Luckily, both of the guys were occupied beneath the hood of a truck.

"Hi Penny, I was wondering if I could get some spark plugs." Tori frowned her brows down. She was unsure if she had that right at all.

Penny, who was smarter when it came to cars, smiled a little.

"We don't really sell spark plugs, you'd have to bring your vehicle in."

Before, their dads had their big falling out Tori and Penny used to play all the time together but nowadays they both felt like they were betraying their family's by simply conversing.

"I don't think I can do that."

Penny couldn't figure out why but then it all became obvious when she got Tori's eyes checking up on Cody.

"It's your brother's car?" She asked.

"Yeah, and both he and my dad would kill me if they knew I was here."

"Then, don't tell them." Penny advised with a know-it-all sound in her voice. "If you want, I could get one of the other mechanics to look at it off-duty." She suggested.

"You'd do that, really?"

Penny saw a large similarity between her and Tori. They were both fifteen year old girls trying to look after their dads and older brothers. It made her feel not so alone for a brief second.

"It's the least I can do." She sighed. "After all, my brother gave your brother a black eye."

"True." Tori lightly laughed.

"I'll let you know what I've set up tomorrow, okay? In Biology class?"

"Sounds good." Tori smiled. "See you, Penny." She waved.

"Wait." Penny rose from behind the counter and wandered over to Tori, so nobody else could hear her. "I know things have been weird lately, you know, between our families, but, they don't have to be weird between us anymore, okay?" Her loneliness must of completely taken over her. However, Tori took it better than Penny had expected she would.

"That'd be awesome. I kind of miss hanging out with you, Penelope Cameron."

"Good." She nodded in agreement. "I kind of miss hanging out with you Tori Hogart."

"Well, I better head out." Tori pressed her hand against the exit door.

"Yeah, I should get back to work."

With smiles on their faces, the two girls parted ways. They were both excited about the resurrection of their friendship. It was the first thing they'd done for themselves in eons it seemed.

"Hey Dad." Penny walked over with the ledger in closed against her chest.

"What's up, Penny?" He slammed the hood of a truck down.

"I finished the expenses." She handed him the book.

"Good job." He took the book from her. She had completely spun around when a new impulse came over her. For better or for worse, she went with her gut. "Uh, Dad?" She turned back around to face him.

Sean had slid behind the wheel of the truck and was fiddling with the ignition.

"Yes, Penny?" He said with all his concentration invested in the truck. Penny liked that.

"Uh, I just wanted to let you know that Zac's staying with Mom. Just so you know." She shrugged. Sean noticeably stop fidgeting for a moment and then went back to it.

"I don't who to wish good luck to," He huffed. "Your mom or Zac."

Instead of making things any more hostile, Penny excused herself back to the front.

The Mason's restaurant was finally slowing down after their intense supper rush. Sydney stood at the front in her formal hostess uniform, a white blouse, blue stain tie and black pants, counting her cash out. It was the most frustrating part of her job next to dealing with customers. Most people always came to her with their negative comments and such because they knew she was the owner and chef's daughter. However, it always went in one ear and out the other. With an exhausted sigh, her dad, with his chef hat on and white jacket, came up to her with a to-go box.

"Here, I made you some dinner." He placed it next to her and watched as she counted through the receipts.

"Thanks." She mumbled without even looking at it.

"When you're done with your cash out, you can leave, if you'd like."

"Thanks." She repeated herself, stapling two receipts together.

"I thought you could go over to Giselle's house, you two haven't hung out lately. You could get ready for your big spa day tomorrow." He tried to make Sydney smile but, it was seemingly impossible.

"No, thanks." She ignored the suggestion.

"Come on, Syd, you've got to stop being so anti-social. Go out with your friends and have fun."

"I'm done." She put the last receipt into a folder and took her card from the till. "Dad, I'm going to go, I'll meet you at home." She picked up the to-go box and walked out from behind the desk. "See you, girls." She said goodbye to the waitresses and hostess around her while throwing her jacket on.

"Bye, Honey." Gavin waved his daughter away and held the door open for her. She walked halfway home and then considered what her Dad had advised her to do. Suddenly, Jayson's offer sounded pretty welcoming and as the night took over the community, she wandered her way to the ravine for a good time.

People who Sydney had seen before but never really co-existed with were walking or stumbling all around her.

Maybe, this was a bad time. She swallowed her thoughts and with her eyes racing around, she searched for Jayson. She never thought she'd be relieved at the sight of a Hogart but, when she spotted him with some friends, sitting on a park table, she felt a little more at ease. She checked over the outfit she had changed into, her winter coat undone over her shirt and wandered over. His eyes grazed over her and looked her up and down then, a smile crept over his face. She approached the table with a lot of pre-caution and watched her breath wither through the air with a quick exhale.

"You came." Jayson noted.

"You did invite me." She nodded and spoke very softly.

"What's in the box?" He nodded towards the to-go box in her hand.

"Oh, uh," She glanced down and slipped some stray hairs behind her ear. "I brought you a burger and some fries."

"How sweet, a present." He moved over for her and patted the empty space for her on the table.

She took a seat and then handed him the box. She knew people would be drinking or mixing drugs at this party among other things but for some reason, it still was unsettling to see Jayson take a large swig from his beer can.

"So, what's this thing?"

"What thing?" Jayson didn't understand.

"This party or whatever." She shrugged her shoulders and tried to do a head count of the crowd but, it became a lost cause very rapidly.

"I don't know what you'd call it. Just some people all chilling out and having a good time." Sydney nodded and accepted that explanation. "It's no posh Colleen Bicknell soiree."

"Quiet." With a laugh, she playfully jabbed her elbow into his ribs. "She's nice, really." She didn't know why she was standing up for Colleen, lately; she had found both Bicknell girls incredibly irritating. It felt like a natural instinct to stand up for Colleen, though.

"Yeah, and I'm a virgin and going on a peace mission with Angelina and Zahara."

"I'm impressed that you know her daughter's name."

"I knew it was something ridiculous."

"I think it's cute." She shrugged and watched him finish his beer and then crush the can in his fist.

"Can I get you a drink?" He asked, sliding off the park table.

"No, I'm good, thanks."

Her innocence was obviously pleasing to Jayson because a Chesire Cat grin spread across his lips.

"I'll be right back." He wandered away to find himself another drink.

Sydney's eyes darted around the ravine, a girl was puking in the snow to her left, a group of people were sharing a blunt in front of her. She noticed Zac Cameron was one of them and couldn't help but wonder. The Hogarts and Cameron's always had such a heavy hatred for one of them. Even though they were both somewhat under the influence, it was a weird sight to see them in the same place outside of Degrassi. She turned away and noticed a few vans parked in the field instead of the lot a few spaces away. Before she figured out what they were for, Jayson had returned with a beer already open in his hand.

"Miss me?"

"It was unbearable." She grumbled, sarcastically He just snickered and took the first sip of his drink. "Hey, what are those vans for?" She questioned, curious like a child.

"You want to see?"

"Sure, I guess." She wasn't certain if that was the smartest answer or not but without thinking, she was following his tracks over to a van. He knocked on the door of one and when nothing knocked or answered back, he slid the door open. It reminded Sydney of the 1970's, the van was pimped out with an ugly shade of orange shag rug, candles lit, some nauseating make-out music on, cardboard over the windows and a small neon green loveseat in the back.

"A shag van, really?" She looked at him with an 'As if' expression.

"It's not just a shag van, come on." He helped her into the van and then slid the door closed. She swallowed her insecurity and tried to think positively. She took a seat on the love seat and he sat right next to her. "You know what a blow job is, right?" He eyed her with an arm behind her neck. She creeped her eyes up his arm and into his eyes. He was completely serious.

"This is what these vans are for?"

"And other things. " He smirked.

Sydney wasn't sure what to do. She did want to have fun instead of sulking in her room which she'd taken keen interest in these days. She tried to think of the smartest thing to say but, nothing was coming to her. She noticed Jayson still drinking and it hit her, then.

"I'll settle for a beer, thanks."

"I thought you'd never ask." Jayson patted his knee with his other hand and they both left the van in search of a drink. He picked her out a bottle of MGD but, as he was handing it to her he got one of his so-called brilliant ideas. "Come with me." He led her through the snow to the same group of people she'd seen earlier. "Hey, who's got the bong?" He asked to nobody in particular.

"You going to do it?" A guy nodded at Jayson.

"Nah, Sydney's a bong virgin." He patted her on the back and ran his hands through her Barbie-blonde hair. "And of other things." He winked down at her. Without so much as being asked, Sydney had the tunnel of the bong in her lips and Jayson holding her head back as one of the other guys poured the beer through the funnel. People were hooting and hollering and she got swept up in it all and tried to indulge herself in the attention instead of the feeling that she was going to puke and choke at the same time. Finally, it was over and the tube was taken from her lips.

"Good job, babe." Jayson, who was buzzed by now, patted her on the back. "I'm proud of you. I thought you were a prude."

"Nah. I'd do it again." She smiled with a know-it- all grin, looking fearless if nothing else.

"You're late." Sean's soon to be ex-wife hissed as she stood up from her chair outside the law firm's office.

"I had to work." He just walked right by her.

"We had an appointment with Mrs. Bicknell for almost half an hour ago."

"Let's just get this over with."

Swallowing all his pride, Sean followed his rebound that he had made the mistake of marrying at twenty when he and Emma Nelson had broken up for silly reasons he couldn't wrap his stubborn mind around. He was going to end it all now and try fresh again, if he could manage to.

Throwing his basketball up at his wall while laying down on his bed, Spencer Del Rossi lay exhausted and upset in his room. Not talking to anybody for a whole day took a lot more energy then one would think. He took a long mental walk through memory lane from the first time he knew what gay was to the first time he was teased for his parents preference to now, the locker incident. Things were easier for Spencer before school, even before daycare. As long as he wasn't with other people and having to be social. The worst part of this to him was that he didn't chose this. He wasn't gay, as far as he was aware of. His dads were but, that didn't make him any different. He wanted someone to understand and oddly, he thought maybe Tori Hogart would. Ever since she kissed him, he couldn't remove her from his mind. He always thought she was a bully and she could be but, what she did for him meant that she had feelings, that she cared. Plus, it was known school gossip that she didn't have the easiest home life either. Maybe, she'd get it and be able to look past everything.

Before he could give the last few days any more thought, a knock came over his room and his door creaked open a little.

"Can I come in, Spence?" His dad, Marco, asked with the most honest eyes.

Spencer took a moment to stare at one of his two dads and then turned away. Marco took that as a yes. Closing the door a little behind him, he took a look around his sons room. He tried to give him space and some privacy but he knew that Spencer was going through a hard time and he couldn't just sit around and not do anything about it.

"Are you sure you don't want me to talk to the school counsellor?" He asked, taking a seat on the edge of Spencer's bed. "I go way back with Miss Nelson, she'd go above and beyond with you."

"Really? She can change 300 kids minds?"

"I know this sucks for you, I know what it's like."

"No, you don't, Dad!" Spencer yelled followed by a deep sigh. He shot up like a rocket and tried not to look his dad in the eyes. "When you were getting beat up at school it's because you are gay. I'm not! I didn't chose this! But, it doesn't matter because as long as you and Dad are my dads my life is going to be hell!" He shouted all in one breath. Marco didn't want to believe that those words had really slapped him in the face, ecspecially from his son. When he was little Marco used to cry over the way kis treated Spencer because of he and Dylan but, Spencer used to always pat him on the back and say that he loved them both anyways.

I'd kill for those days again. Marco thought to himself.

Marco wandered over to the doorway and let himself out, completely pulverized.

"See ya, Mason!!!" One of the guys she was chugging with at the ravine slapped Sydney on the back as they stood in front of her street. Stumbling to walk without falling, she found her house and took each step one at a time. Lucky for her, her dad was still at the resturant, even at one am, closing up. She slipped her key in the lock and pushed the door open. Leaving her key in door knob, she slammed the door behind her and crawled up the stairs laughing and rambling like she was still with Jayson Jr.

Next chapters coming up will probably concentrate more on the Degrassi characters then just the kids.

Let me know what you guys think.

Any suggestions or ideas or requests are apperciated, too.


	5. Something About The Manning Twins

Chapter Five:

Something About The Manning Twins

The morning brought nothing refreshing to Sydney. Things only seemed to be worse. Her head was heavy with the aching that she could only describe as "tragically painful" but even that hurt to think about. Her whole body ached with each spin the room took. She looked down and noticed her jeans were twisted on her hips and her shirt was rippled from sleeping in it. She sat up like a rocket only to lay back down in complete pain. She'd heard of hang overs before but, never actually experienced one.

She took each pace one pace at a time. The steps were like an adventure down a rocky mountain. The feeling of moving, the noise of moving, nothing felt humane. The closer she got to the kitchen the more her head hurt from the noise of her dad clanging dishes and the sound of food sizzling in a pan.

"Good morning." His smile reached ear to ear and even someone entirely blind could see. It looked like it took some work to make. He had a spatula up in one hand and an empty plate in the other. She visably clenched at the sound of his salutation. "Are you sick?" She didn't look like herself. Nobody looked very becoming in the morning but, she usually didn't have make-up smeared all over her face and yesterday's clothes on. She only nodded with no energy to speak. "Well, how about some scrambled eggs and french toast to make you feel better?"

Usually, that would come across as incrediably appetizing to Sydney Mason but, she wanted to hurl just by smelling the food. Also, she had read in one of Colleen's gossip magazines that eating eggs when you're hung over is a recipe for disaster. Still, she couldn't tell her dad about what happened last night and she didn't have the heart to shoot down his positive mood by refusing breakfast. This was the type of thing she'd confide in her mother and if her mom was around, it would've never happened. Gavin slid the plate right in front of her and instructed her to dig in, in his new chipper voice.

"Thanks." She groaned while cautiously picking up her fork to do just that.

Standing by her locker in sweats and a tee shirt, Sydney had tried her best to get through her shower and make herself look healthy at school but, she only felt worse. A finger tapped her shoulder furiously and made her moan.

"What?" She turned around to notice it was Spencer. They had spoken once before but, it was still a strange sight.

"Hi, Uh, Sydney, i'm Spencer."

"I know who you are." She squinted to keep the light from making her head ache any worse.

"Alright, do you know where Tori is? Tori Hogart?" He pressed on like an eager beaver.

Sydney couldn't figure out why he'd ask her. She'd never really associated with Tori much, not since junior high. Their dads didn't really like each other and Tori's friendship wasn't worth all that much to Sydney.

"Uh, I don't know, I saw her at her locker a few minutes ago." She shrugged.

"Thanks." he smiled briefly and slipped away.

"What a strange boy." The snicker of Colleen Bicknell sliding up beside her said. Sydney didn't say a word. "You know, even when I'm hung over, I try to look ready for my public." She looked Sydney up and down. Sydney couldn't figure out how Colleen knew. "Want to come with me to the washroom? I'll try and fix you up." Colleen strung her manicured hands through Sydney's flat blonde locks.

"Okay." Sydney grabbed her text book for her next class and then closed her locker. The two girls passed through the halls with ease. Secretly, all the faces and movement made Sydney want to lean over and hurl. Right as the two girls reached the girl's room, Jayson and one of the guys from the party last night dodged in front of them.

"You look rough." Jayson cackled.

"Gee, I love when boys tell me that." She groaned and rolled her eyes. Even sarcasm was painful.

Colleen was muddled by Sydney actually standing to talk to such a degenerate. She had no use for The Hogarts and anyone they knew.

"Whatever. The hang over will wear off." He shook her to jokingly make it feel worse than it already did. "There's another party tonight, you better come."

"You know, you were suspended, you better leave before I call Principal Denver." Colleen tilted her head down and squinted sadistically in his general direction.

Putting his hands up, he backed off.

"Since you said please, princess." He wandered away from the girls. "See you tonight, Cindy." He called at Sydney.

Colleen grabbed Sydney by the wrist and pulled her into the girls room.

"Are you going to tell me what you were doing hanging out with Hogart last night or are you saving that topic for girls night tonight?"

Sydney had forgotten about their spa date that she had reluctantly agreed to take part in.

"We just happened to be in the same place."

"Don't joke, Syd. What's going on with you? You've been like a zombie since your mom died?"

Sydney couldn't believe how Colleen could just say things like that. She said them the way she asked for no cream in her coffee or how she explained James Franco's washboard abs. She just said it all very simply.

"I'm just adjusting." She shrugged, taking a look at her discumbobluated self in the mirror.

"Well, let's adjust your attire, okay?" Colleen hated sweat pants. "Here." She took a hair elastic from her wrist and began to pull Sydney's blonde locks into one french braid. "Go into my make up bag in my purse and get rid of that black from under your eyes. The goth look is gone, sexy is back." She winked in the mirror. Sydney did as she said without a word.

"Hey, do you know a guy named Austin Walters?"

"No." Sydney stared back at Colleen in the mirror while dabbing a cotton pad beneath her eyes.

"His dad, Dean, works at the bank right by your street."

"Okay." This all meant nothing to Sydney.

"Anyways, I'm completely over you-know-who and I don't know why but Austin is looking really appealing these days. Plus, he just dumped that hippo, Kayli Sinclair." Colleen would neve rbe mistaken for anyone but Paige's offspring. "I'm totally going for it." She tightened the hair elastic once more around the braid. "There, now just brush your teeth and nobody will know you're Hogart's hoe."

"I am not!" Sydney shot but Colleen didn't buy it. She just put everything back in her bag and trotted away.

"Is it just me or do you feel safer without our brother's poluting the Degrassi hallways?" Tori appraoched Penny with a large lip gloss smile.

"Hey Tori." She grinned right back. "Yeah, I agree." Things did feel less chaotic without Jayson, Cody or Zac at school. "So, did you talk to anybody about the spark plug situation?"

"Yeah, Julio said he could come over around noon. I thought we could go over on our lunch break."

"Sweet." Tori nodded. "So, I was thinking about how to kick off our reunion."

Penny was all ears. When the two girls used to hang out, Tori always knew the best and most creative ways to have fun and cut loose.

"Japanese Karaoke bar?" She questioned with perked up eyes.

"Are you kidding? That was strictly a grade eight thing." She slapped her hand through out the air. "It's a surprise. I have a whole weekend planned."

Before Penny could question anymore or Tori could explain anything else the bell sounded.

"I've got Phys Ed but, I'll see you tonight." Tori, who was usually as positive as a Michael Moore movie was all smiles. Everybody around took notice and were just as confused by it as Penny.

Stepping out of the girls change room, Tori was fully dressed in her gym class uniform but before she could fully walk out to the gymnasium she was cornered by none other than Spencer Del Rossi.

"Hey." He took in a deep breath and almost caused himself to hiccup. Tori just glanced over him and walked into the gymnasium. "I'm Spencer, uh, we kissed?"

"It wasn't all that memorable, I wouldn't go spreading it around." Tori was a sweetheart when she wanted to be but, she could pull out her inner Alex Nunez in the blink of an eye.

"Oh, uh, sorry." Spencer froze up right away. He couldn't think of anything to say. "I've never kissed a girl before." He just blurted out. The few kids around them who were hanging out in the gym began to sort of snicker.

Tori turned around, her pin straight her sashaying around.

"Del Rossi, here's a tip, when people already suspect you're a queer, you shouldn't go around saying you've never kissed girls before." She rolled her eyes and snapped a hair elastic off her wrist to pull her hair into a pony tail for class. Spencer caught the first glance of a scar around her wrist that looked a lot like a burn. He right away assumed it was from her parents.

"I know you hate your parents!" Once again, another stupid line impulsivly came out of his mouth. She turned around and just dodged her eyes into his. A few stray strands that she had dyed fell into her face since shed' spun around so quickly.

"I just mean," He stepped closer and brought his voice down to a hush. "The scars and all."

She snorted and before crossing her arms, she pushed him by the shoulders.

"Get lost, fag." She said while walking away from him.

"You enjoying your pedi?" Paige asked the three blonde girls sitting beside her in a row.

One by one they all answered agreeingly however, Sydney just muttered hers under her breath.

"So, mom, how was your day at work?" Giselle shifted foreword to face her mom, her long goddess like blonde locks cascading down.

"Productive." Paige smacked the gum between her lips. "You know the Cameron kids, I think Penny is in your grade, girls, and both their oldets son is still trying for his Senior diploma."

"He's never in class." Colleen pointed out, snottily.

"That doesn't surprise me, their father is Sean Cameron. Anyways, this is one bitter divorce. The majority are but there was not a moment of silence in my office today. One of them always picking on the other, I really thought Sean was going to rip my University diploma off the wall and smash it right on his wife's head."

"Their kids are lunatics, anyways." Colleen mindlessly flipped through a Teen Vogue.

"It's surprisng that they don't get along with those Hogart losers." Giselle followed her sister's lead.

"Hey!" Sydney almost yelled. "They're not that bad." She mumbled, the Bicknell girls eyes down on them could be very intimidating.

"Whatever." Colleen finally looked up from the magazine. "Mom, I need your advice, which color for my fingers?" Paige leaned in to get a closer look. "Should I go with Maroon Blues, very sexy or Heavenly Hush, it's a little more girly."

"Are you trying to impress a boy?" Giselle inquired.

"What do you think?" Colleen looked down at her sister like she was mental. "His names Austin Walters, he just broke up with this hoebag, and he's so fresh and cute. He looks like he just graced the cover of Forbes and Cosmo at the same time. What do you think, Mom?!"

Paige's face must've turned all thirteen shades of red and matched her toe nails. Austin Walters, as in Dean Walter's oldest and only offspring? The idea of them being anywhere near her family or her made her want to pull the lungs out of her chest just to stop from hyperventaliating.

"No!" She just snapped. "I refuse to let you see him."

"What?!" Colleen whined. "Mom, you don't even know him. This is so typical of you."

"Trust me, Collie, he's bad news." Paige tried to sell her point like the lawyer she was.

"No, he's rich, dresses like he's as queer as the Del Rossi family and he's hot! Mom!!!"

Between the melodrama and concentrated pedicures none of the Bicknell ladies noticed Sydney slip out of the Salon.

Just as the sun was begining to sink low, Sydney was wandering up the hill that led to the snow covered ravine. As soon as she entered the same area she was in the night prior she saw Jayson setting a keg down by the vans. She was confused and angry and still very much grieving. She couldn't figure out herself and want to be able to talk to her mom. She had no intention of ever feeling the same way she did that morning but she liked the careless fun she had the night before. Without a thought, she strolled up to Jayson and his group of friends.

"You're early." He scoffed, looking her over. She was more done up than the night before. "And no burger?"

"I just wanted to make sure we'd get a van." She smirked and grabbed him by the wrist this time. His whole group hollered and he taken quite far back. She slid open a van door and went to step in when he pulled her back.

"What are you doing, Syd?"

"I thought these were shag vans." She giggled like the rest of the girls she knew would do in front of guys they wanted to impress.

"You want to do this shit?" He asked, playing with the beak of his ball cap.

She bit her lipstick smuthered lips and pulled her jacket open to reveal a low cut revealing top. Jayson wasn't even going to try and steer his vision elsewhere.

"Do you want to?" She questioned, rhetorically as they both climbed into the van.

Penny ripped through her room stuffing pajamas and various items into a napsack. Tori had sprawled herself over her friend's bag, Penny's room hadn't changed since they had last hung out years ago. The walls were covered in different photos, sketches, flower petals, quotes, lyrics, and anything that a thumbtack would hold up. You could barely tell the walls were a a creamy shade of mocha. Her single bed still had the same quilt made of her baby clothes and the only change was her sheets.

In the middle of her tangent, Tori interrupted herself.

"Ah!? Where did the California Raisins go?" She sounded sincerly appauled.

Penny just chuckled while slipping her hair behind her ears.

"I was doing the laundry and I just put them in my dad's room."

"Your dad? A fourty some old man is sleeping on the California Raisins?"

"He's a beach boy at heart." She shrugged. "So, carry on with your story, I'm intrested."

"Right." She bounced onto the edge of the bed. "So, he just follows me into my gym class, which is all female, and he starts blurting out the stupidest stuff like about how I hate my parents and he's never kissed a girl."

"Both of those aren't news to anybody."

"I know, but, man." Tori was exasperated and displayed it with a deep sigh. "He's been following me like a puppy all day."

Penny kept snickering.

"What?" Tori eyed her, wildly. "Penny, what is so funny?"

Penny stopped her laughter long enough to say:"You must be a damn good kisser."

"Penny!" She threw one of Penny's stuffed animals at her. "This is bad! I can't stand this kid."

"Be nice to him. He doesn't have it easy at school."

"Easy for you to say, you didn't kiss bolgna breath."

"You made that choice on your own." She swung her napsack over her shoulders. "Alright, i'm ready."

"Finally."

The two girls giggled all the way down the stairs where Cody was walking around half naked while getting his uniform on for the garage.

"Whoa, have you grown up, Cody Cameron?" Tori smacked her lips together without taking her stare off him.

"Cody, Put some clothes on!" Quickly, Penny picked up a crumpled tee shirt from the couch and threw it at him.

"I haven't seen you around here, Tori, not since, like, elementary school."

"And I didn't see you around school today." Tori fired back, playfully.

Cody just laughed.

"You can blame your dick of a brother for that one."

"Okay, Cody, stop flirting, Tori is taken by Spencer Del Rossi -"

"Hey!" Tori slapped her friend in the ribs.

"And you should be at work by, I don't know, an hour ago! Let's go, Tori." Penelope dragged her friend out by linking their arms together.

"I'm not seeing Del Rossi!" Tori waved goodbye to Cody, leaving him alone in his house laughing.

Paige folded her newly painted hands on her hips and waited for somebody to answer the door at Gavin Mason's house. Tapping her foot on his icy door step, she waited.

"Spinner!" She cried as he opened the door. "Hey, did Sydney come home?"

"I thought she was with you, your girl's night." He frowned his brows down close to his eyes and looked both perplexed and concerned at the same time.

"Oh, hot damn." Paige muttered staring at her heels. "She just sort of took off, I have no idea where she went. I'm so sorry, Spinner."

"It's Gavin now!" He corrected her in a yell, without closing the door or inviting her inside, he wandered back inside his house and picked up his phone. Paige let herself in and shut the door behind her.

"I'm so sorry, Gavin. I don't know why she even left, we were having a good time."

"Hey Mom?" Gavin asked over the phone, one hand on his pelvis. "Has Sydney called you?" He waited, Paige stared at him from across the room completely worrisome. "Alright, uh, just let me know, okay?" Time felt like it was moving so slow but everythign around her was spinning. "I can't talk right now, Mom, okay? Yes, okay, goodbye." He hung up the phone and dialed another number.

"Gavin I-"

He just put his finger up for her to be quiet.

"Hey Emma?" He asked. "Yeah, It's Spin- Gavin. I was looking for Sydney and I know that you had talked to her for me, she didn't come by your place, did she?" He waited, impaitently. "Thanks, I apperciate that. Yes, have a good night, too." He hung up the phone once again.

Her hands on her face, Paige was ready to weep.

"Is she with Emma?"

"No." Gavin shook his head and ran both his hands through his hair. "I don't know where she could be."

"Doesn't she take dance still?"

"She hasn't gone in weeks." He smeared his hand over his face.

"The graveyard?"

"She won't go." He shook his head.

"The resturant?" Paige tried.

"Paige! If I had any idea where she was, I'd be there. If I knew what was wrong with her, none of this would've happened. Jesus! This was what Val was for. Val knew how to talk to her, she always knew where she was or would be, I am no good at this."

"Hey!" Paige wandered closer. "That is not true. I see how you are with Sydney, she is lucky to have you. You're incrediable to her. I wish my husband treated Collie and Giselle the way you do your daughter. She's just hurting right now and she doesn't know how to act."

Gavin pulled out his kitchen chair and took a seat. Seconds later, he stared up at his ex-girlfriend, waiting for her to take a seat, too.

"Teenage girls are complicated." He simply stated.

"I know that first hand." Paige nodded. "You know, Collie, she's set her eyes on Austin Walters." Gavin's eyes beamed open and shot right into her face. "Yep, I know. I don't know what I'm going to do, either."

"So, we both need something stronger than coffee, then." Was all Gavin could say.

"What are we doing at Spinner's Bar and Grill?" Penny glanced around the happening resturant. The place was a buzz in their community. "This is our fun evening? A romantic dinner for two."

"No way!" Tori wandered over to the host standing at a sleek black podium. "Two for Tori Hogart." She grinned.

"Right this way, Miss." The girl took both Penny and Tori in right away and sat them close to the stage in the back of the resturant.

"Good service." Tori crossed her legs and smiled. She flipped through the drink specials on their tables.

"Okay, tell me your big plan now." Penny slipped her coat off and removed her winter tuk.

"To celebrate day one of the Penelope Joy Cameron/Torrence Alexandra Hogart's revival tour we're going to party here at the hottest resturant in our neighborhood." She giggled wildly. Her hoop earrings swinging from side to side. "We are going sip back Shirley Temple's, throw our hands in the air like we just don't care and flirt with the Manning brothers." She slid her hungry eyes to the stage where two twin boys, a few years older then them, were setting up amps and chairs to sit on.

"Seriously? They're so..." Penny was in awe, the closest she'd been to boys this hot was a television screen. "Beautiful." She sighed, dreamily.

"I know but I call dibs on Vin, okay? He's the drummer."

"Their twins, Tori, they are mirror images of one another."

"No, Vin's chin is much more chiseled than Hartley's. Besides, drummers are way wilder."

"Well, I'm fine with Hartley. You'll just have to make sure I know whose who, later on."

Both girls laughed as the waiters brought them waters to start.

"Penelope Cameron, is that you?" A red head girl behind her spoke up. Penny shifted in her seat with the straw from her water still between her lips. She looked the woman over but couldn't figure out who it was. She was a thin woman who had obviously managed to stay in perfect shape through out her life and wore dark black eye liner, that's what made Penny remember instantly.

"Oh man, Ellie!" She jumped from her chair nearly knocking the table over. She put her drink and straw down and wrapped Miss Nash, well, Mrs. Manning in a large bear hug.

"I haven't seen you in forever. We need to catch up." Ellie held Penny out to get a look at her. Penny made a mental note to give herself a pat on the back for wearing conservative clothes instead of the fishnet stockings and mini skirt Tori was trying to push.

"Why don't you sit with us? We're going to be watching your sons, anyways." Penny offered, wildly excited.

"That'd be great, you don't mind?" Ellie slanted her sights over at Tori.

"No, that's cool." She agreed.

"Great, let me go get Craig." Ellie dashed off to find her husband.

"You know their parents?!" Tori wandered over and wrapped Penelope in a large hug. "We're both scoring us Manning Brothers tonight!" She almost screeched.

Read and Review. Chapter six is on it's way.


	6. Recovering The Satellites

Chapter Eight: Recovering the Satellites

After the Manning twins set, Craig, Ellie and the two girls sat at their table rhapodizing over how great it was. Craig was a father glowing with prode, Ellie was proud as well but she preserved it much better than Craig could.

"So, Penny," Craig finally treid to switch the subject of his talented twin boys. "Tell me, hows your dad doing? What's he been up to?" Craig used to consider Sean a friend back in grade ten or so and he was curious to how his life had turned out. "He's doing well," She lied polietely. "His autobody shop is always busiest around this time, so he's really busy." That wasn't a lie at all, she smiled comfortable with her answer.

"And what about your parents,Tori?" Ellie turned the attention over to Tori before Craig had a chance to ask about Penelope's mom. Ellie was in the loop about these things thanks to her close ties to Paige.

"They're alright, working hard." She lied, sipping the remains of her Shirley Temple.

"And your brothers?" She asked both girls.

"Good." Tori shrugged her shoulders. "He's a nice combonation of both parents."

That answer worried Craig and Ellie. One Alex, they could handle. One Jay, they could tolerate for a moment. Combine them and you get, Jayson Jr, that scared them. They scanned their eyes at Penelope who was watching the world around her.

"Oh, mine?" Penelope really didn't want to get into that less than sunny topic. "They're fine, boys, you know." She giggled to try and ease things.

"I can't believe how big you've got." Ellie fawned over Penelope. "Last time I saw you, you had marmalade all over your face and little sundress." She smiled sweetly, Ellie had become much sweeter since becoming a mother of two.

"I remember," Craig could recall the last time they visited the Cameron abode. "And you were lifting that little sundress to show us all you had an, what did you call it," He thought back a little, Penelope had her face buried in her hands, embarresed. Tori was leaning in to hear more. "That's right, your 'agina'." Craig, Ellie and Tori just laughed whereas Penelope was turning the shade of their pizza sauce.

"Oh, Craig, you're embarrasing her." Ellie playfully swatted her husband.

Much to Penelope's happiness, the two poster boys of goregous pulled up seats to their table, The Manning Twins. The one with the more chiseled features whoTori had earlier called Vin reached over and pecked his mom on the cheek and Hartley took a seat between his parents, shaking his dads hand.

"It was a great set." Ellie's grin just kept getting bigger and bigger and happier and happier.

"Alternate your bass line on that last song, Vin." Craig winked at his son. "It was awesome though." He finally nodded his head in a solid agreement.

"I think my favorite song was the one about sea sickness." Tori spoke up, both boys big brown eyes dodged into her hazel ones and she began to sweat. "I don't know if that's what it was about but, you mention it in the chorus."

"Boys, thiis is Tori Hogart and Penelope Cameron, friends of ours." Ellie introduced to make things a little more relaxed between everyone at their table.

"No, I know what song you're talking about." Vin loosened up a smile down at her, since he was a fair amouth taller. His eyes alluminating light into hers. "Sailboat, I wish I could take credit for it," He relaxed back in his chair. "But, Hartley wrote that one on his own."

"It was great." Now that Penny knew which boy was which, she turned over to the one on her left and complimented. He just nodded, quietly. Not a chatty one like his brother.

"I think it'd be a lot better with a fuller sound." Vin took over for his older twin brother. "Unfortuantly, we haven't been able to find any other people interested in joining, at least with any talent."

"Penny," Tori swatted behind her nearly hitting Penny in the face. "She can play guitar and she's got a voice like nobody else."

"Tori, please." Penny leaned close to her friend and tried to side track her.

"I'm serious, you should hear her."

"You interested in auditioning?" Vin leaned foreword so he could look directly at her.

"Sure." She chimed in, simply. She was begining to feel as shy as Hartley was.

"Boys, have some pizza, we're done." Ellie who was engaged in a private conversation with Craig broke away to say.

"And Jonny Santos plays bass, you should really check him out. I don't know if you guys remember him, he goes to Degrassi." Tori handed out another reference to the brothers.

The moment Craig and Ellie word the name "Santos", they broke from their conversation and looked with both curious and worrisome eyes.

"Santos? Is their mother's named Manuella?" Ellie checked feeling her old high school jealously be reborn in her gut.

"Manny, I think." Tori assured them.

"She's a hair stylist, right?" Craig double checked.

Tori only nodded.

Colleen was as silent as an abandoned warehouse at the dinner table. Giselle was usually the quieter one at meal time and Colleen would yack on for hours about her day at school and why they won't hang out with certain people because of the hem on their skirts. Tonight, Giselle had to take the reigns.

"I'm sort of worried about my Media Immersion project." She said after swallowing her sip of water.

"Why? Is it not done?" Her dad said reading some work to the side and fiddling with his work on his other.

"No, it is." She nodded, pushing her blonde hair to keep from dragging on her plate. "It's just worth thirty percent of our final grade, I want to do a good job."

"That's up to you." He groaned, not really paying attention. "You have to do a good job."

"Why not, Mom?!" Colleen finally wailed. Paige looked up from her still full plate of antipasta.

"Excuse me?" She questioned her oldests daughter sudden outbreak.

"Why can't I date Austin Walters?"

"We've been over this." Paige really didnt' want to discuss it ecspecially at the dinner table. She'd never shared with her daughter about what happened between her and Dean Walters. She'd told her husband but, he didn't seem to be phased with what's going on.

"Your answer hasn't been good enough, tell me, Mom."

"Because I said so, Colleen." Paige heard her mother's voice come through her own.

"I can't believe you." Penelope folded over Tori's kitchen counter while Tori put away some left overs in their fridge.

"You love me for it, admit it." Tori gloaed with a freshly glossed smile, pulling out two coke cans before closing the refirdgerator behind her.

"I don't play the guitar anymore." Penny hadn't touched it in at least seven months.

"Now you have an excuse, too."

"And I don't sing ever anymore." Her midnight eyes pierced into the back of her friend's head as Tori led them to her messy living room where both girls collapsed over on the couch.

"Not even in the shower?" Tori opened her can, squinting so it won't squirt in her eyes.

"Not even in the shower." Penelope handed hers to Tori to open since she wasn't able to pull back the tab.

"I find that hard to believe." She handed the now open drink back to her friend.

"Look, if you don't want to audition, that's fine, but at least now we have an excuse to see them tommorrow."

Interuppting their bonding time, a clearly buzzed Jayson wandered into the apartment almost kicking the door open. He already had a smoke in his mouth and just recently lit. Behind him, a just as tipsy Sydney followed, trying to wander in a straight line and laughing like a hyenna.

"Jayson, you're not allowed to smoke inside." Tori reminded him as he trenched across the girls.

He stopped in his tracks and glossed his sister over with his stoned eyes. At first he growled in her direction but, when he noticed Penelope next to hers, he just smirked just like his dad.

"Tori, you're not supposed to have stuck-up bitches inside." He muttered and then led him and Sydney to the balcony.

Penelope couldn't believe it and Tori wanted to pounce her brother over.

"He's drunk." Tori searched Penelope's face to try and bring back the happiness that was spread on it before. "And stoned." She excused her brother.

"It's okay." Penelope knew what stoned and drunk guys could be like. She'd grown up with Zac.

Just to make things worse in walked Tori's father. He wasn't drunk, which was a shocking change and he seemed to have a pretty dominant smile on his face.

"Tori, guess what?" He called while closing the door.

"What?" She called back making a silly face at Penny.

"That job I went over a week ago at Canadian Reno's, I got it." A while back, Tori remembered, her dad went for a job to be a contractor for this company. She was thrilled that he got the job. It meant more income which meant less stress which meant happier parents. Tori was through the roof. Jay wandered out of their kitchen nook eating a leftover piece of pizza Tori had broughten home.

"That's great, Dad, congrats!" Tori exclaimed and then began to sip her drink.

Jay's smile one eightied into a frown when he set eyes on little Penelope Cameron. Penny could feel his death stare without looking and she sunk lower in the couch.

"What the hell is she doing here?" He grumbled and nodded at her.

"We're hanging out. Mom said she could sleep over."

"Why?" Jay walked close to them, ripping a piece of pizza inbetween his teeth. "Your old man finally got evicted?" He muttered in her face, so close, Penny thought pizza might spray in her face but, it didn't. He just wandered into his bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

"Penny, I'm sorry." Tori rubbed her friend's arm in support. "He's just - he's not the most welcoming guy."

"It's fine, Tori, it is." She tried to convince Tori. "It just sucks that even after all these years your family still hates mine."

"Come on, Penny." Tori laughed a little, followed by a hiccup.

"No, I know that your dad and mine butted heads a few years ago when it came to the autobody shop but, can't they just work it out?"

"Whoa." Tori shook her head. "You mean, you don't know what happened?"

"They had an arguement and your dad quit?" That's the story Penelope had been told. She was only seven years old when it happened.

Tori checked behind her to make sure her brother couldn't hear her but, he was occupied holding his lips over Sydney's.

"Look, Penny, this is what happened," Tori got in close to fill Penelope in with the truth.

Two am struck and Gavin sat with his arms crossed over his chest on the couch. He had Jeporady playing on the television to distract him but it wasn't working, not even a little bit. The sound of a door slamming outside the house alerted his ears and his eyes popped open wide. He still wore his death look, furiously. He could hear Sydney walking up their walkway and her keys fiddling in the lock. Gavin wandered to the door and opened it wide while Sydney was putting her keys in. The motion sent Sydney flying to the floor. Her face smacked the ground, harshly. Slowly, she pushed her head up, her blonde locks all spread across her make-up smeared face. Gavin couldn't believe it, she looked like complete trash.

"Hi Daddy." She giggled out. He grabbed her by the wrists and helped her up.

"Where were you, Sydney?" He closed the door and locked it behind them both. "I've been here all night worried sick, not to mention, you have Mrs. Michaelchuck-Bicknell upset and I called your school counsellor. What's going on with you?"

"Can you hold that thought?" She slurred and flopped over to the waste bin by their kitchen entrance. She fell over it and began to vomit.

Any doubt that she'd been drinking was quickly made clear.

Gavin couldn't believe his daughter. She used to be so clever, a better desicion maker than he ever was. She had priorities and goals before. She wanted to get a dance scholarship, she wanted to be a choregrapher. She wanted to dance on theatres through out the world. She was a beautiful girl, too. Eyes like his that began as thin as slits when she smiled widely and she had a body like her mother's which was perfect without even trying. She had fairtytale blonde hair - like her mother's and a smile just like his - goofy and adorable at the same time. He wanted to cry seeing her that way. This wasn't his little girl. He wanted Val to be there to help him discipline her, she'd know what to do. His instinct was to punish Sydney - to throw her out., to yell at her until her ears were bleeding but, then it hit him like a brick wall. If Val was there, this wouldn't of even helped. He just watched as his daughter spewed, missing the garbage can and letting it strak through her hair.

Chapter seven coming up.

Tell me what you guys think, I know that this chapter wasn't the greatest.

Again, suggestions and comments are all apperciated.

And I promise big drama and romance and all good things we love about Degrassi are brewing.

**Recovering the Satellites - Counting Crows**


	7. Unanswered

Chapter Seven: Unanswered

Penny woke up at the first sign of dawn the next morning wrapped beneath Tori's covers next to Tori's drooling mouth. She didn't bother to shower, just threw on some clothing and tied her hair into a messy bun. Tori asked - begged for Penny to stay long enough for them to whip up some breakfast but, Penny didn't want to risk having another run in with ither of the Jay Hogart's or even Tori's mom. She caught the 81 to her street.

Bursting through her unlocked front door, passed Cody who seemed to be comfortable in his butt imprint on the couch in front of the television. In front of the open refridgerator staring inside at it's emptiness. He slammed it sending it shaking.

"Hey Penny." He turned around and after sighing greeted his daughter. "Do you think you could pick up some things at the grocery store? We're all out."

"Sure." She just mumbled and wandered to check for herself just to see if they had anything. "I had a great night, thanks." She mumbled under her breath but, still behind her, Sean heard.

"Did you have fun with your friends?" He asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table and flipping through the mail.

"Yeah, I did." She shut the door and went to sit across from him.

"Who'd you go out with?" Sean knew that Penelope had friends but, she usually volunteered to spend all her free time at the shop working the front desk, he never really saw any of them or heard her talk about them.

"Tori." She searched his face for a reaction. He put down the bill he was reading over and looked at her with perplexed eyes.

"Tori Hogart?" He checked.

"Yeah."

"You haven't talked to her in years."

"Yeah, who's fault is that?" She jumped right into it. She knew her father was under mountains of stress these days with work, raising three teenagers (Ecspecially, Zac) and with the divorce but, she refused to just lock this one at the bottom of her.

"I don't know." Sean shrugged his shoulders and began to glance over the bill again.

"She told me, Dad. She told me about why you and the Hogarts had that falling out." Sean didn't even give his daughter the satisfcation of his attention, he continued to read with no idea how'd he'd get his way out of this one. He was under the impression they had kicked and buried this horse years ago. "You told me that you guys got in an argument over the proper way to change spark plugs and he quit. That is so far from the truth isn't it?" She wanted to yell and get up so quickly that the table would knock over but, she couldn't. The mouse inside her could only sound strern and angry. "And I don't understand for a second how you could fire him? He was your friend and he needed you then."

"You were just a toddler, Penny." Sean tossed the paper down and turned to stare his daughter. "You don't know."

"You'd be surprised what I know, Dad. I'm here way more than you. I know where Zac is right now, do you? I know how Cody is doing in school and how he likes his peanut butter sandwiches. I know who's deposited money and who still has outstanding IOU's at the shop. I know why you're really mad at mom. I know what our electric bill and our water bill have been the last four months, do you? I also know how to cook, do you?" The mouse was turning into more of a ioness and she could barely keep still. Sean's face was heating up and he was shaking, he was trying so hard to keep under control. His whole face looked ready to just burst in front of her. "And on top of that, I know that you fired Jay because he asked you for help paying his bills and you said no and when you say him borrowing money from the till at the shop, you fired him!" She picked up her backpack and left the kitchen and headed for the stairs to jump in the building.

Sean got up from his chair harshly and watched his daughter dash.

"Penelope Joy, you get ass back here!" Sean called as she fled up the stairs.

"I have to shower!" She yelled back down.

"I need you to go to the shop."

"I've got an auditon today."

That being said, he heard the bathroom door loudly shut.

Sean nailed his fist against their kitchen wall and let out an annoyed grunt.

"Bet you didn't know that." Cody turned his eyes away from the television screen and teased.

Waking up the next morning for Sydney was like waking up to death. Her whole stomach was twisted inside of her and ready to regurgitate what was left inside from the night before. Her gums tasted of stale beer, ash and vomit and traces of all three resided around her mouth. She felt like two giant Ewoks were nesseled on her head by how hard it was pounding. She slowly rose out of her bed and looked herself over in her head. She thought that she looked like a mess but, it hurt too much to think. She couldn't figure out for the life of her how she got into hr pajamas but, she didn't question it.

"Just be gentle, okay?" Sitting at the Mason kitchen table which was known for the amazing meals that were presented on it or for it's size. Jimmy watched his oldest and best friend pull together a fantastic breakfast and coached him. Gavin hadn't recieved a wink of sleep. He was too busy pondering how he'd deal with Sydney today and why she was behaving how she was.

"Gentle?" Gavin called while flipping french toast on a skillet. "Jimmy, She came home toasted out of litte tree!" He exclaimed. Sydney could hear as soon as she reached the last step. She stood against the living room wall to listen in. "And I don't think this was the first time. This was just the first time I saw her."

"Look, yeah, you should be upset but, if you shout right in her face, she isn't going to learn any lesson."

Sydney took that line as her cue to enter.

"Morning Dad." She coughed out and then while wiping the sleep from her eyes, she waved at Jimmy. "Hi Uncle Jimmy." She smiled and sat next to him. Gavin decorated the plate of french toast and peameal bacon and then slid it in front of Jimmy.

"Thank you." Jimmy said while picking up his cutlery.

"Can I get you anything, Syd?" Gavin smiled down at her with a grin fit for a King. Sydney wasn't up to eat anything but, she was too worried about how her dad was going to dig into her. "Borbon, scotch, brandy," He listed, out of the corner of his eye he noticed Jimmy with his mouth full giving him the eye. "Perhaps, vodka on the rocks? I could whip you up a quick margarita, if you're feeling festive."

"Dad, I know -"

Gavin didn't let her get it out.

"No, you don't, Sydney. You don't have the slightest clue what it feels like to have no idea where your daughter is or what's happening to her. You don't know the feeling that I felt when I saw you crawl into this house completely loaded and then start puking. You can't even imagine to know what that's like, not even until you have kids."

"I'm sorry that I put you through that." Intimidated, she mumbled.

"And what are you even doing drinking? You're not stupid, Sydney, I raised you well enough to know the dangers of drinking."

"You mean you never drank at fifteen or sixteen?"

"Of course, I did but, that doesn't make it acceptable. You know better."

Jimmy pushed his plate closer to Sydney to take a bite if she wanted but, she didn't even look at it.

"And who are you drinking with? It can't be Colleen or Giselle 'cause they were where they were supposed to be last night, the spa which you very rudely left. You better call Mrs. Michaelchuck-Bicknell and apologize today." Sydney knew she could do that. "Who is it?"

"Just a friend."

"Who?" Gavin pressed on, turning off the stove next to him and holding onto it with one hand to keep himself from losing all control.

"You don't know him." She just mumbled.

"Him?" Gavin arched his brows up and was now even more alert.

"Uh oh." Jimmy's eyes shifted between the little girl next to him and her dad behind him.

"You were out getting drunk with a boy?"

"Dad." Sydney knew where this would go.

"What if he had slipped something in your drink, Sydney? Jesus!" Gavin exclaimed. "You know what, you're grounded."

Sydney hadn't been grounded since she was in kindergarten.

"Gentle." Jimmy warned.

"You will go to school everyday, on Mondays at lunch hour you'll have to report to Miss Nelson, no excuses. You will come home, if you don't have to work, you'll be at dance, if you don't have dance, you're here doing homework." This was harsh ecspecially for Gavin.

"Dad -" Sydney's hung over and mascara smudged eyes buldged from her face.

"No, I'm making sure you never drink again." He stared right down at her, clutching onto the back of a chair. He carried on with his rules. "If I'm not here, you will be at Jimmy and Ashley's, am I clear?"

"For how long?" She couldn't believe it.

"Until I decide I can trust you again."

"This is unfair." Sydney crossed her arms over her chest.

"No, you know what's unfair. It's unfair that I had to see you come home shitfaced and puking all over the place. It's unfair that I'm late for work right now because you pulled a stunt like that. Now, go upstairs."

Reluctantly and staring her dad down the whole time, Sydney stood up and headed to the break between the kitchen and the living room.

"I wish you died instead of Mom." She turned around to burn him with and then carried on up to her room. Jimmy watched Gavin's face crumble and shake.

"Yeah, me too!" Just to get the last word in, Gavin shouted so loud, Jimmy actually felt the house move. As soon as Gavin knew she was in her room, he sighed and taking a seat, he buried his face in hands.

"Very gentle." Jimmy commented, biting into a slab of peameal bacon.

Parting his fingers, Gavin looked at his friend and then wiped his hand off his face.

"I keep trying to wake up." Gavin yawned. "I want this to be a dream."

"She got drunk, Spin." Jimmy couldn't break the habit of calling Gavin by his high school nickname. "She's a teenager, it happens."

"Not to my kid, not Sydney. I let her try wine at the resturant once and she spat it all over a braised lamb shank. She hates alchol and she never even goes to the parties that Colleen invites her, too. She hates them." Jimmy was silent and just heard Gavin out. "The worst part is, I know that if it was me who'd died instead of Val, this wouldn't of happened."

"Hey!" Jimmy jumped in. "This would still be happening no matter who died. Even if Val was still alive, She'd do this and if not drink, something else. She's a teenager they make mistakes, they screw up. You did when you were her age. Least she didn't get anybody shot."

Gavin gave Jimmy a blank stare.

"Not that I know of." Gavin sadly said.

"Spinner, thanks for the breakfast. I should head out." Stretching his arms, Jimmy wheeled out and towards the back door.

"Thanks for coming, man." Spin waved him off, not even getting up from his seat.

"She's just confused right now. She lost her mom. Try and talk to her when you're both calm." Jimmy left with those words of advice and wheeled away.

Sitting in the Manning's garage, Tori excitedly giggled while tapping her hands on the knees of her jeans.

"This is where they sit and they jam and they create. I can't believe we're here." Though her parents were two of the biggest hardasses, Tori could still be a complete girl. A blank pale shade, Penny sat next to her friend and tried strumming on the guitar she hadn't played in ages.

"I don't know how you talked me into this."

"Oh please, you're thrilled." Tori slapped her hand back against Penelope's arm. "You're in the Manning twins garage. You couldn't be happier."

"I can think of things I'd rather do." Penny muttered. "I can't even remember any of the chords."

"We all ready?" Vin slapped his fist against his open palm and asked both girls as he walked in the garage from his house.

"Oh yeah." Tori said staring directly at him.

"I guess." Penny shrugged her shoulders still staring at her acoustic guitar.

"Let me help you tune it." Vin outstrecthed his hand and Penelope hesitantly handed him the instrument. He sat down on a stool he had set up and began to adjust the guitar. Silently (as always) Hartley wandered in, Ellie and Craig behind them.

"We're here to see your big debut!" Ellie called while she wandered over to the girls.

"There's no reason to be so excited, Mrs. Manning." Nervously, Penny let out a little giggle.

"Please, I haven't seen you preform since you were small."

"Another sundress story?" Tori questioned excited.

"You betcha." Craig winked playfully at the girls.

"Cody would sit by the coffee table and pretend it was a piano and you'd lie yourself over it and sing that song from that _Peanuts_ musical."

Both Tori and Vin looked at Penelope and waited for her to say something. She just buried her blushing fave in her hands.

"We've embarressed her again." Craig rubbed his wife's back.

"I remember that." Penny finally looked up, her brown hair swooping behind her. "_Suppertime _by Lucy and Schroder."

"Hopefully you can bring that magic back." Vin handed her her guitar and vacated the stool for her to sit at. She poistioned on it comfortably and he took her seat on the sheet covered couch next to Tori while his parents stood behind them. Hartley was sitting behind Penelope, sitting on the steps that led to their door.

"Where's Johnny Santos?" Vin checked his watch, the kid was supposed to be there to play bass for them ten minutes ago.

"I gave him a call." Tori shrugged her shoulders.

"Hopefully, they're not coming." Ellie inaudiably mumbled.

"Sorry, Penelope, go ahead." Vin applaudd her in.

"It's just Penny." She reminded everybody. "What do you want me to play?" She asked.

"Whatever you want." Vin shrugged.

"What do you know?" Tori helped her best friend out.

"I don't know a lot of radio songs. I just used to write stuff." She shrugged, feeling more and more nervous. She was speaking in a whisper tone.

"Even better." Vin seemed to be an all aroud excited guy. It made Tori and Penny both wonder how Hartley got to be so quiet. They'd hard him sing in front of crowds but never had a conversation with the boy.

"Okay, well," She thought back to one she could still vaguely remember to play. "Here it goes."

She pressed one finger down by a fret and swallowing the lump in her throat, she just went for it. Ignoring all the eyes on her. She just opened her mouth and hoped it would sound as sweet as it had to her months ago.

"It's gotta be real, when you say there's no other way." Not half bad, she thought to herself. "Then to drive out of the blue, with nothing but goodbye to say." She took a breath and was surprised at how comfortable she felt and how decent it was soudning. No cracks, no squels, no pitch problems, just a three flats so far. "You've never been a soul of few words." She sang out. It didn't take Ellie long to figure out it was a song Penelope had written about her parents. "All the reasons you could never explain, You're just making bad choices, you're not making mistakes, Guilt gets you nowhere, so in that darkness you'll stay, Because everything you don't say." Vin was listening intently to Penelope technique and wasn't paying attention to the emotion that she was conveying like quiet Hartley. Even Tori, who wasn't know to be sennestive, was feeling it.

However, over the melodic sound of the guitar and Penelope's soft folky voice was the noise of a car being put in park. One door slammed after the other and Ellie watched in horror as Manny Santos, looking great if not greater than she did in high school, and her son walk up her driveway. Craig had to double check that his jaw hadn't hit the floor. Penny had stopped immeaditaly and was just happy she'd made it.

"You must be Johnny." Vin jumped onto his feet and shook his hand. "Hi Miss Santos." He shook Manny's hand.

"You look just like your father." Manny exclaimed with a smile that could kill. That comment did it for Ellie.

"Hello Manny." Ellie faked a smile and shook her hand.

"Ellie!" Manny wrapped her ina large hug. "How are you? I can't believe it's taken so long for all of us to get together." She said while unwrapping Ellie. Ellie swallowed largely in fear while Manny reached up and she and Craig embraced.

"You look great." Manny told him.

"Yeah, uh," Craig scanned her over with his eyes. Even dressed in a winter coat and scarf, she looked stellar. "You, too."

"Hi Miss Santos." Tori wandered over and shook Manny's hand.

"Where are my manners?" Ellie chuckled, uncomfortably. "This is the Hogart's girl, Tori."

"As in Jay and Alex's?"

Manny was shocked that the Hogart's had managed to raise such a good looking girl with enough common sense to introduce herself.

"And this," Ellie walked Penelope foreward knowing she was shy. She was still holding the guitar by it's neck. "This is Sean Cameron's daughter."

"Oh, Penelope!" Manny hadn't seen her since her mom's baby shower. "You've grown up so-"

"Do you have a sundress story?" Tori inquired with a clap of her hands.

"Of course." Manny giggled.

"You know, Johnny, I'm dying to hear you play bass." Penny shifted the attention away from her.

As soon as Johnny was all set up, Ellie excused herself into her kitchen. Manny just sat on the couch next to Tori and Vin and bobbed her head to her son's jamming. She was glowing with pride. Craig wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to listen to Johnny play, he wanted to catch up with Manny but, he also wanted to check up on his worrisome wife. Hartley excused himself after her.

"Mom." He cautiously said while walking up behind her. She was folding laundry at the kitchen table.

"Hartley, you should be listening to the auditon." She turned behind her and grinned up at her son. He could tell it was entirely fake.

"What's the deal with you and Miss Santos?"

Ellie sighed not sure what she could tell Hartley. He was eighteen, so he was old enough but, he was her son.

"We just have a history." She nodded. "Actually, your dad and her do." Ellie admitted.

"Hartley, can I talk to your mom for a second?" Craig spoke from the edge of the kitchen. Ellie dragged her hand down Hartley's sleeve as he walked by to leave his parents alone. "Ellie, what's going on?" Craig sat across from her and started to fold a towel.

"Just seeing Manny, it brings up some memories and stuff." Ellie admitted, feeling really silly.

"Come on, Elle, that was high school. We're all adults now." Craig couldn't understand it even though, secretly he wasn't feeling all theat at ease, either.

"That doesn't mean it didn't happen."

"I know, Ellie, I think about it all the time."

"You do?" That was news to Ellie.

"Yeah, but, you should come out and talk to them. Her son's good."

"I don't want him playing with Vin and Hartley." Ellie put down the shirt she was in the middle of folding.

"What? Why not?"

"I just - I don't want to have to be around Manny if I don't have to be, you know."

"Ellie, that's crazy and not to mention selfish on your behalf."

"No, I think it's a fair thing to say. Okay, Manny doesn't seem to have changed -"

"You haven't talked to her!" Craig raised his voice.

"Maybe not but, I have every right to be suspious, don't I?" Craig didn't answer her. "Don't I?" She pressed on. Craig just kept folding laundry, his eyes fanned down and sort of shy. "Craig, tell me, I don't have to worry."

It didn't matter what Craig said because now Ellie was fearful.

Luckily to snap her out of it, their phone began to ring on the table.

"Hello?" She answered. Craig tried to figure everything out in his head. "Marco, hey." She smiled at the sound of her best friend's voice. "Oh, I'll be over right away. Don't worry." She stood up in the chair and started to look for her purse and winter coat. Craig watched her race around the main floor of their home. "Alright, bye." She hung up and put the phone down on the ledge.

"I have to go to Marco's. He's upset." She threw her coat on and didn't bother to button it up. "Something about Spencer being distant or something." She pulled her keys from the her purse and pulled it over her shoulder. "Can I take the van?"

"Yeah, sure." Craig agreed and once Ellie had left, he went back outside to help his boys and see Manny.

Laying on her stomach on her dirty sheets, Sydney mindlessly flipped through a year-old Cosmo Girl magazine. She'd been grounded for three hours and was bored out of her face. Her dad had called her down for lunch an hour ago but, she ignored. As far as she knew he was at work now. Saving her from her bored state, her cell phone began to sing the theme to Rocky. She smiled as happy as a clam when she realized it was Jayson Hogart's number calling her.

"Hey you." She said flirtaiously turning over on her backside.

"I just talked to my sister," Jayson wasted no time and got right back into the meat of things. "There's some sort of party going on at The Fyxx."

"Off Bishop Grandin?" Sydney questioned.

"Yeah, you want to come?" He asked, she could tell he was chewing on something while talking to her. She hadn't a clue it was a girl massaging his neck with her tongue and mouth.

"Sure, when?"

"Eightish?"

"Oh damn, I'm grounded." Sydney frowned while biting her index finger nail.

"Poor baby. You don't want to get a spanking." He made fun of her.

"It's fine, it's fine. Pick me up?"

"Yeah, sure." He hung up then and left a smiling girl on the other end. She closed her cellphone and quickly started to bounce on her bed. Her head only inches from the ceiling. She didn't know it yet but, she was slipping into a crush on Degrassi's badass, on a guy Colleen would shoot her in the foot for even thinking twice about. She right away decided the best way onto how to sneak out of her place.

Penny took off her winter cap and left it and her guitar casde behind the desk of the autobody shop. She was late for work but, she'd been jamming with the Manning boys. Vin had asked her to come to The Fyxx where they were playing that night to play that one song with them. He and Hartley had even figured out some good percussion that went with it and some melodic chords for Vin to harmonize with. They were still debating on whether letting Johnny come. Vin really wanted to but, Hartley had overheard the discussion between his parents and didn't want to make things harder for his mom. She wandered through the oily cold room and found her dad in his office typing on his calculator and then on the keyboard of one of the shop computers.

"Hi Dad." She was unusually chipper. She stood in the doorway and waited for his answer. When she didn't even recieve a look back from him, she closed the door and took a seat on the other side of the desk. "Are you still mad about this morning?" He just kept working away. "I'm not going to apologize for what I said but I am sorry if I hurt you because that wasn't the intention." Sean didn't say a word. "You do know the silent treatment was invented by a children, right?" She questioned feeling a little annoying.

"I'm working, Penelope." He spoke to her without looking at her with ice in his voice and like she was an iritating child.

She just played with the loose yarn on her mittens.

"I'll make this fast." She said back in her soft voice. "I'm performing tonight at The Fyxx, it's just one song but, still. I'm really excited and I want you to come."

"I've got to work tonight." He didn't pay any attention to her.

"I thought maybe you could pull yourself away for a five minutes. The Fyxx isn't that far."

"I don't know." He grunted, staring a the computer screen. In defeat, she got up from the chair and headed back to the door.

"If the real reason you don't want to come is because you don't want to see mom, don't worry, she can't make it." Penny opened the door slightly, just enough to let the noise outside enter his office. "I'm on at eight thirty." She dropped the clue, just in case.

Thanks for all the awesome comments, please continue to review, there's nothing I like more than reviews.

Next chapter, Emma's certainly going to be in it for all you Emma fans and their will be more of your favorite Orignal Degrassi:TNG characters.

**Also, here's a little something for you guys to do interactivly, what do you want to see happen between Craig and Ellie and that whole plot? Let me know**.

_Unanswered - Stacey Mitchell_


	8. Delivering Idiots P1

Chapter Eight: Delivering Idiots Part One.

**DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Degrassi.**

Colleen sat alone at a table in her mom's halter top and a jean skirt that wasn't really approriate for the winter world outside but, just liked how it made her legs look. She watched the people she recognized as her friend went to fetch her a drink. She apied Austin Walter's in his letterman coat chatting up with his friends - no girls, which Colleen couldn't be happier about. She checked in the spoon on the table that her hair hadn't lost any volume and when she looked up, he was just about to pass her. She put out her leg in front of him and he stopped at it's sight.

"Austin, sit." She grinned up at him, seductivly, showing off no teeth but her smooth lipstick job.

"Colleen, hey." He recognized her from their science class. "I actually was about to go meet someone." He looked over at the door. Colleen didn't even budge.

"Join me." She offered even though it was more of a demand.

"It's tempting." He grinned his devil-like grin that matched his father's. "But, I have to talk to someone."

"Austin, you're not going to leave me here alone." She was coming across desperate but hadn't a clue.

"Tell you what," He bent down and got so close their lips could touch if they wanted. "Why don't you join my group at our table?" He tilted his head to the side in the direction of his posse. She just smiled that Colleen Bicknell smile.

"That's more like it." She took her clutch and excused herself over there.

Sydney pulled on a large sweatshirt with a diablo on the back of her tee shirt that her dad would deem too tight and checked her jeans out one more time in the mirror. She could hear her Uncle Jimmy and his wife, Ashley, down stairs in her living room watching a movie. They were occupied. She glanced down once Jayson's headlights blinked. She opened her window and threw her purse down first and then she climbed down carefully. It was the first time she'd ever done this before and she was glad she decided on wearnig flat sneakers instead of ankle boots. She was nervous about everything that could happen. She could fall and break into a million pieces on the hard gravel, Jimmy or Ashley could catch her, her dad could come home early and catch her or her guilty consious could eat away at her. Before she could convince herself to climb back into her bedroom and serve her punishment, her feet hit the gravel and she helped herself into the passenger seat of Jayson's car.

"You won't believe it, Em." Manny smiled the way she always had and adjusted her newsboy cap that was placed strategically on her long exotic locks of hair. "He's been practicing like crazy, this is the first thing he's been excited over in a long time." Manny gushed to her friend about her son.

"I can't wait." Emma said calmly.

"And Craig's boys, oh man, what i'd give to be a teenager again."

"Manny, you know Craig's married."

"Sweetie, i'm not even thinking about doing anything. I'm enjoying being single."

"Good." Emma sipped her hot cocoa and pushed a few strands behind her ear.

"That smells so good." Manny commented, running her finger around the rim of Emma's mug and sucking the whipped cream off her fingers.

"It tastes good too, huh?" Emma chuckled.

"I'm going to go get myself one." Manny excused herself and headed over to the counter.

"Ellie," Craig reached both hands across the table and cupped them over one of his wife's. "I just want to apologize about earlier, I was just being stubborn. I'm an adult now and I don't even think about Manny." Ellie perched her eyes up. "In that way or at all. I couldn't be happier with you and the boys."

"I know, I don't know why I doubted it."

"You have no reason to feel insecure."

"Thank you, Craig. I'm sorry, too."

"You know that I... l-" His voice traile doff until it stopped as his eyes rested on Manny at the counter. She waved over at them when she caught a glimpse of him staring at her. He waved her over causing Ellie to roll her eyes.

"Hey guys, are you as excited as me?" She held her cup of hot chocolate in both hands and asked in her friendliest tone.

"Absolutely." Craig agreed. "Why don't you join us?"

"Oh, I'd love to." She agreed with wild youth in her eyes. "Do you mind Ellie?"

"Not at all." With no expression, she shook her head.

"Great, let me go get Emma."

"Ladies and gents, you better all get ready 'cause here they are," A young redhead waitress with Medusa curly hair spoke closely into the microphone with a raspy voice. "Here are the Manning Twins."

Just the introduction sent the crowd into a fit of cheering and applause.

"Hey Toronto." Vin pulled his acoustic guitar over his head. "I'm Vin Manning the better half of the Manning Twins." He joked with the crowd and a few stary faces chuckled. "Before we rock your bones, we want to introduce a guest out onto stage with us to play one of her original songs "Unanswered" for you," Sneaking into the crowded place, Sean stood at the back against the glass window. "Give a friendly applause for Penelope Cameron." He rasied his hands to the microphone and began to clap. Behind him, sitting behind his drum kit, Hartley clapped with the audience.

"It's Penny." She spoke right into the vacant microphone. She spoke so close it squeaked into the room causing people to flinch. "Sorry." She blushed. Vin slanted his eyes at her and counted her in and as the lights bent down and alliumnated the stage, they began. All eyes on the Manning Twins and Penelope. Even Emma, who considered herself an acquantince of Penelope's glowed with pride. She checked behind her and let a genuine smile spread through her lips when she noticed Sean rocking discreetly and staring up at the stage. After a moment of checking him out, she turned back to the stage. Once the song ended, the whole place cheered. Penelope was full to the brim with a new feeling, she didn't recognize it but, she never wanted it to leave her body.

"Go Penny!" Tori screamed from the corner of the stage smiling just as wide as Penny was.

In the back, wearing the biggest smile of everyone in the room and cheering the loudest was Sean. He knew what the song was about but, he was still proud of his youngest daughter. Sometimes he thought Penelope was the only Cameron to make something of herself. Penny thanked the audience and told them to enjoy the rest of the show before excusing herself off stage. Right away, Hartley rolled the crowd into their next song, a way more upbeat body moving song. Sean left as soon as he saw Penny being approached by audience members. Penny held Tori's hand through out the crowd but, her eyes dashed around the place, looking all over for her Dad. It didn't hurt as much as it should've when she noticed he wasn't there. Tori took a seat at a table with some friends when Emma approached Penelope at the counter while she was ordering a large glass of water.

"You were excellent." Emma commented, sincerely.

"Oh, Miss Nelson,." Penelope was happy to be talking to someone she knew and not recieveing congratulations and compliments from people she didn't recognize.

"Call me Emma." She assured Penelope as they hugged, lightly. "Your dad must be proud."

"He didn't show. He had to work." Penny admitted and didn't seem to be phased by it on the exterior.

"Oh." Emma didn't tell Penelope that she had seen him in the back and she knew it was Sean Cameron. Emma could pick Sean out of a sea of millions. "Well, you were great. I'm impressed you wrote that song. It was beautiful."

"Thanks. I just hope what's true of camera isn't true about the stage."

"What do you mean?" Emma didn't understand.

"I heard somewhere that the camera adds ten pounds," She sighed, innocently. "I just hope stage lights don't." She laughed.

"Oh, baby, you look phenominal." Emma checked her out. It really worried her when young girls said things like that - even if they were only fishing for compliments which Penelope didn't seem to be. It was true, too. Besides looking pale and malnourished, Penelope did appear to look great. It was the first time Emma had ever seen her wear make-up, usually Penny didn't bother. She had her hair straightened by Tori and she was wearing fitting black pants and a yellow Ed Hardy shirt. She looked very casual and put together.

"Thanks." Penelope said while retrieving her water and taking a large gulp.

"Now, go be with your friends." Emma patted the girl on the back and sent her back into the crowd

Emma was going to go join Craig, Ellie and Manny once more but before she turned she noticed the blonde hair of Sydney Mason and Jayson Hogart handing the girl a shot. The drinking bugged Emma, of course but, Gavin had called her that afternoon and filled Emma in on his plan and he mentioned twice that Sydney was severely grounded. It wasn't any of Emma's business but, in order to help out Gavin, she made it her business. She marched over and tapped the blonde teen on her shoulder.

Giggling and screunching her face up from the burn in her throat, Sydney turned around.

"Hi Miss Mason, shouldn't you be in your bedroom thinking about what you're doing?" Emma asked with a fake expression on her face. Sydney knew she was busted but didn't say a word. "Excuse us, Jayson." Holding Sydney by the arm, she led Sydney outside the The Fyxx. Sydney wasn't drunk, she wasn't even tipsy but, she was certainly buzzed. Emma pulled her into the passenger seat and whipped out her cellphone.

"Don't call my dad." Sydney basically begged.

Emma looked over at her completely unimpressed.

"Manny?" She spoke into her phone. "I'll be right back, I just have to help someone out. Thank, goodbye." Emma hung up her cellphone and planted it in the cup holder in her car.

"Thanks."

"Oh, don't worry, your dad and I are going to talk." Emma drove down the almost empty street.

She pulled into the parking lot of Spinner's Bar and Grill. Sydney shadowing behind her, Emma walked right by the hostesses and through the resturant. She ignored all the waiter's telling her she wasn't allowed in the kitchen. She walked to the back where Gavin was wearing his chef coat and tall hat. He was looking over a line cook and instructing him on garnishing.

"Gavin." Emma spoke sending him to turn around immeadtly. At first he looked normal but, when he noticed Sydney looking extremly at fault behind Emma, his face turned a boiling shade of red.

"What's going on here? Sydney you should be at home." He tried to remain neutral until he knew the facts.

"Can we step into your office?"

At the moment, Spinner's office was being used, so he led them into one of the huge fridge's in the back. Thankfully, Emma and Sydney were still wearing their winter coats, so they weren't too cold. Still all three of them could see their breath racing through out the fridge only to disappear.

"Sydney Patricia Mason!" Gavin raised his voice so loudly that Emma could imagine the entire resturant heard him. "What is- How could- Why -" He couldn't even think of the best question to ask. "I would ground you but, I've already done that."

"Dad, I just -"

"How do you think this makes me look, Syd? Emma having to drive you back to me after seeing you drink. And Craig and Ellie and Manny were there seeing you like this? You know who they think is at fault?" He asked her completely rhetorically. "Me, that's who." He got up right in her face making her shake even more. She couldn't help but let a few tears drip down her face. She tried to sniffle them back up but, they wouldn't.

"I think I should leave you two alone." Emma rubbed Sydney's back but, she was too angry to even wave goodbye at Emma. "I'll see you in my office on Monday." She turned her eyes over to Gavin. "Bye." She waved at him and let herself out of the refridgerator. Gavin held his pelvis and then took a few deep cleansing breaths while Sydney used her mittens to wipe her tears.

"You go put on an apron, you're going to work the line. I'm not letting you out of my sight. Does Jimmy know you're out?"

"I don't need a babysitter, I'm almost sixteen." She fought back.

"Go put an apron on." He extended his arm towards the exit of the fridge and with her head hanging low and her blonde hair falling down in her face, she left to find a spare apron.

Emma was on her way back to The Fyxx to hear the rest of The Manning Twins set and see Jonny Santo's big debut but for a reason she couldn't undrstand, even with her physcologist degree, she turned right instead of left on Pembina and drove into the parking lot of Cameron's Autobody Shop. She could see the lights still on and the only car there was Sean's. She shut off her car and took a large breath before entering...

To find out you guys gotta keep reading.

Review, please. I love to read what you all think.

**Delivering Idiots - Stabilo**


	9. Delivering Idiots P2

Chapter Nine: Delivering Idiots Part Two

Emma strolled her way through the empty but, unlocked autobody shop. Looking up, she could see an office with it's lights on and loud music blasting from it. The door read "S.Cameron", it couldn' t be more obvious to anyone. She wandered up the metal stairs and knocked lightly on the door but over the music, Sean couldn't hear. She tried again but, nothing. So, she just pushed the door open slightly and snuck her head in.

"Hi Sean." She said, still below the music.

Sean turned around at the sound of the door creaking and nearly jumped out of skin when he saw Emma standing in the doorway.

"Emma!" He exclaimed. "Take a seat" He extended his hand towards a chair and then turned his stereo off. Emma helped herself to a seat across from Sean. "What brings you here?" He asked, turning in his chair to face her. Though the light of the shop was harsh, Emma still managed to shine through to Sean and he was sinking into his high school flames. Emma wasn't exactly sure what brought her there. "Need your oil changed?" He offered out loud.

"No, I --uh," She tried to think of why she had come but just sunk into her physcologist form. "Your daughter has an incrediable voice, so much talent,"

"She didn't get it from me." Sean rolled his eyes and lightly sighed.

"Sure, she did. You must be really proud."

"I am proud of her." Sean nodded, reluctantly. "I just don't think she's too proud of me." Emma tilted her head and her big eyes pressed into his and that alone was reason for him to continue talking. "We got into a fight."

"Hence why you didn't want her to see you at the Fyxx." She nodded and folded her hands over top her knee.

"Yeah, it's that old stubborn side of me, you know." He shrugged.

"Oh, you bet I do." She said mostly to herself.

After a brief pause, Sean got up from his seat and chuckled.

"What?" Emma questioned, her eyes following his path.

"I see why you're a physcologist." He waved his finger at her. "You're good. I would've never told anyone that."

"I'm trained." She shifted around in her seat. "Sean, I know it's none of my business, I shouldn't meddle where I'm not invited to but, it just seems like you could use some help."

In his mind, Sean whole-heartedly agreed.

"No, not really." Came out of his mouth.

"I just, I want you to know I'm here." She let herself out of the chair and walked to the door where Sean met her and opend it wide to let her out.

"Thanks, Em."

"You know I'd do anything for you." She said it so simply and while running a hand through her blonde locks, it took Sean all the way back. He couldn't fight the fact that he was extremely lonely and now with Emma standing there in front of him as beautiful as she always had been, he thought maybe it was a second chance screaming at him in the face. He just stepped closer and pressed his lips over hers.

Right away the red light went off in Emma's head and her eyes sprung open. She kept yelling in her head about how wrong this was. She had been with Sean before - many times and each break up hurt more than the last. They were older now but, that didn't change in the least. Emma was Penelope's counsellor, this only made things more personal and Sean wasn't even fully divorced yet. Still, she couldn't pull away.

Gavin had called Jimmy and Ashley at his house only minutes after Emma left the resturant and let them know they were free to leave and that he was apologetic for what Sydney had put them through. Appearantly, only half an hour after Sydney made an escape out the window, Ashley had walked into her room to invite her to finish watching the movie with them and when they noticed she wasn't there, they both went driving around the neighborhood for her.

Gavin didn't say a word to his daughter the whole car ride home, he only uttered orders to her at work so, Sydney didn't count that as conversing either. He just led her to the front door and walked in not even looking back at her. She locked the door behind them both and slipped off her sneakers. When she turned around she saw their living room full of solem faces - Jimmy, Ashley, Aunt Kendra, Paige, Dylan, Marco, and Spencer.

"You guys," Gavin was exhausted that it even took a lot of energy to sigh. "Seriously, just go home, it's fine." His eyes were almost being hidden by the bags beneath them and he could barely stand up straight. Sydney tried to sneak to the stairs and march upstairs but, Paige saw her.

"Come here, missy." She glared her back over with her eyes that could strike fear into a lion. Sydney stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face the room.

"Look, we're here for you both," Ashley placed her hands together and stepped foreward. "We put together a little support team because it seems like right now, that's what you both need."

"Ashley, thanks." Gavin yawned. "I apperciate the offer but, I think Sydney should just go to her room."

Sydney couldn't stand it - other people, some who she barely knew and who didn't even know her making her desicions for her or talking as if she wasn't there.

"I think we should all have a talk with Sydney, actually." Paige spoke up. She knew that Gavin was struggling with his daughter these days and decided to take matters into her own well-manicured hands. Sydney played with the sweatshirt laying over her arm, she had been right, too. Her dad really hated the top she was wearing. She didn't look up for a moment at anyone. Ashley and Paige were the only two standing, the rest were all comfortably sitting on the couches with willing and helpful eyes that had a hint of sorrow whirled inside them. "Do you know what you've put your dad through these last few days? Have you any clue how sleep-deprieved or worried he has been?" Sydney had thought about all that all the time but, she'd never let anyone know. "I don't know what's gotten into you, missy but, I assure you nobody likes who've you become." She was laying it on really thick for Sydney. Sydney clenched her whole mouth in the way her Dad would when he was being lectured. "Now, I'm not your mom but -"

"You're right," Sydney finally looked up and shot her just as hostile eyes into Paige's. "You're not my mom." With that spat and tears already dripping down her red face, Sydney ran like a fox up the stairs.

Gavin sighed deeply while Paige took her place back on the couch.

"Great job." Gavin looked at the whole room with his tired eyes, ecspecially Paige, then he followed after his child.

Penny left The Fyxx just a song before Johnny Santos big debut. She wanted to stay but, she had homework to finish and she was getting sleepy. Tori assured her that she was getting a ride from The Manning's, so Penelope felt free to leave. She said goodbye to her few friends and Ellie gave her a quick hug goodbye and then she went off to catch the last 81 home.

Cody, still in his mechanic jumpsuit, was comfortably planted in front of their television watching a reality TV show. Penelope was on a huge high from her performance, she couldn't believe that the Manning Twins got to feel that way almost all the time, it gave her such a rush. She reached around from behind the couch and wrapped her arms around her brother's throat.

"What the?" Cody furrowed his thick eyebrows down and looked up.

"I had a great night." She grinned and scampered into the kitchen. She was more unusual than Cody had ever realized. She grabbed a post-it from the kitchen counter and wrote "Get groceries" on it and then stuck it on their covered refreidgerator. It was coverd in photographs, bills, memo's, and all sorts of various items. She put the sticky note right by an old high school picture of her dad. It took her high away instantly and replaced it with disapointment. She had really wanted him to watch her tonight, she stared at the picture until she heard her brother call.

"Come here, Penny, this is sick." His eyes were fixated on the screen. On the TV was a girl eating a cockroache and squirming.

"That's gross, Cody." Penny's skin filled with goosebumps. She glanced down at her brother and the light bulb over her head flicked on. "Oh man!" She squealed and danced back into the kitchen.

"What?" Cody looked away from the screen, puzzled by his sister's new attitude.

Penny rushed back into the living room and sat next to her brother on their tattered couch.

"You look just like dad did when he was your age!" She held the picture right in face. Sean was sitting on a picnic bench with his blonde hair short and a plain white tee shirt on underneata grey zip up, which Cody often wore.

"Please, let me tweex your eyebrows." That seemed to be the main simularity. Cody was completely freaked out at how much he cloned his dad's high school picture.

"Go to town." He agreed.

Penny got up from the couch to fetch tweezer's from the bathroom while Cody stared at the picture more. When she got back into the room, Sean was sitting next to Cody and they were both squirming from the sight on TV.

"So, should we do this later?" She held up the tweezer and made both the boys check behind them at her.

"Yeah, tommorrow, okay?" Cody nodded.

"Okay." She shoved them in her pant pocket and then took the picture from the coffee table. She walked upstairs where her bedroom was located and sat up on the edge of her bed. She was overcome with the need to pick up her guitar and she began to strum the same chords she had played earlier. She didn't even notice her dad's silhouette fill the room. He leaned against the wall and watched her play, sinking into the melody. "Dad, hey." She noticed when she brushed a few strands of hair from her eyes. She immeaditly stopped playing and put the guitar down by her legs.

"You don't have to stop." He put his hand up.

"Oh that's right, you didn't hear the song tonight." She swallowed and averted her eyes down and watched as her feet didn't reach the ground.

"I think you and me need to have a talk." Penelope glanced behind her and noticed it was quater to midnight. "You up for a midnight ice cream run with your dad?" It took all his energy to offer that. He hadn't been a father in so long to her, it was strange but also very fufilling. Penny just nodded. She'd been dying for him to offer that.

"You're right, I lied to you." Sean admitted while they drove out of their neighborhood and onto the main road. "This is what you need to know, Penny," He took a deep breath and turned off the radio that Penelope had turned up. "The autobody shop had just started, we hadn't even been open a full year when Jay realized he could lose his house and Children and Family services were threatening to take Jayson and Tori from him and Alex." Penelope didn't understand. "Believe me, Penny, at first your mom and I tried to help. Jay worked a lot of overtime to make more money and Alex even worked the desk but, it didn't seem to be good enough. When I told Jay I didn't have the money to just lend to him, I mean, I'd taken out loans to get the business started, he went bezerk. He was crazy and three days later we were missing a pretty big sum of cash from the till. I looked over the security tapes and sure enough, Jay had taken it."

"He would've returned it, I bet." Penelope stuck up for the man who used to be her dad's best friend and as far as she knew, he was still her Godfather. "He just needed some help."

"Sure," Sean found them a parking spot at the Dairy Bee and turned his car off. "But, the point is he didn't ask me, he knew I wouldn't of allowed it and he stole the money." He closed his door and caught up to Penny who was walking to the entrance of the ice cream parlour. "I couldn't let him keep working."

"It still sucks." Penny walked through the door her Dad held open.

"If you and Tori are going to be friends again, that's fine but, don't let Jay brainwash, you alright?"

"Let's just get some ice cream." Penny stood up on her tip toes and looked at all the bins of flavors. Her dad ordered his regular - a strawberry shake and Penny got a dish of Superkid. They sat at the counter facing the parking lot and ejoyed their ice cream in silence and in one another's company. Penny couldn't take away her smile - it had been a rare great night for her.

"Thanks for the ice cream." She looked up at him and he just smiled down at her. For a moment, he had his daughter back. He could remember as a little toddler though, she'd long grown up.

"No problem." He shook his hand on her head and messed her hair. "I was really proud of you tonight." He cleared his throat and then pronounced. "I had no idea you could sing like that."

Penny was warmed inside. She couldn't believe he'd came and seen her. This night just kept getting better for her.

"There's a lot about me you don't know." She admitted, sweetly.

"I know." It hurt Sean to know that and it reacquainted him with the distance between he and his daughter.

Tori wandered out of the elevator of her apartment and waltzed down the hallway - happy with how her night had turned out, too. Until she reached her door and saw her older brother passed out against the door.

"Oh, Jayson." She pushed her key in the keyhole and wiggled their door open and dragged him through. She left him on their floor and then closed the door behind her and as if on cue, the lights flicked on. Traipsing drunkeningly over to her was her Dad, he was laughed and angry at the same time.

"You're late." He slurred.

"Where's mom?" Scared, Tori darted her eyes around.

"She's at work." Jay swallowed backing his daughter against the door.

Her blonde hair in his hands and her hands all over his body, Colleen and Austin made out like the hormone driven teenagers they were in the back of his truck. She had completely smeared her lipstick all over his face when she pulled back over top of him. The tips of her hair still brushing over his face.

"I had a good time with you tonight." She whispered.

"Me too." He looked at her with a Chesire cat grin.

"So, you're going to take me to the movies on Wendsday?" She asked without listening for the answer.

"You're damn right, I will." Austin knew how to play this girl - she was easy and he was going to milk that for all he could.

"Good." Colleen crawled off him and outside his car. She was catching a ride with her friend. "See you." She closed the door on him and walked away, swaying her hips from side to side and audjusting her top. Austin just licked his lips together and laughed to himself.

All sorts of cliffhangers!! Ooooh.

I hope you all liked it, Chapter Ten is coming up and a lot more drama is going to begin to brew.

I hope it isn't too slow moving.

R & R, please!!!!

**Delivering Idiots - Stabilo**


	10. Made Of Steel

Chapter Ten: Made Of Steel

Sydney sat at the kitchen table eating a bowl of Cap'n Crunch silently and reading through a magazine, she was still dressed in her pajams. Her dad sat across from her in his pajama pants reading a the paper and eating a bowl of Cap'n Crunch, too. He would periodically glance up at her but, she never checked up. Emma had told him many times to try talking with her just to re-enforce that he didn't hate her, he was just disapointed. He cleared his throat while swallowing a spoonful and gave it a shot.

"Anything interesting?" He asked about what she was reading.

"Just figuiring out my porn star name." She mumbled still reading.

"What?" He sat alert like a concerned father. "What trash are you reading?"

She held up it up and he was relieved to see it wasn't one of those Cosmo magazines but he was appauled to know they were printing those in TEEN.

"Remind me to stop buying those for you."

"You didn't buy it, Mom did." She just mumbled.

Gavin was put back in place but, Emma's voice rang through his head and he just kept trying to make conversation.

"So what's your pornstar name?"

She finally looked up at him and scratched at her messy bed hair.

"You take your first pet's name and your mom's maiden name." She explained.

"So you'd be," He squinted to think about it. "Siggi St.Louis." He put it together.

"What would you be?" She asked back.

Gavin couldn't believe it was working, he had to try this conversing thing more often.

"I'd be Dexter Biggit." They both just laughed lightly. "What else?" He nodded at her magazine and while swallowing some cereal, she checked out the page.

"Take your middle name and the name of the city you were born and that's your soap opera name." She read aloud. "I'd be Patricia Toronto." She told her dad.

"You do have the dramatic flare to be in a soap." He nodded in memory of the last few nights. She just sort of giggled. "You should probably go get ready for school, eh?"

"Yeah." She picked up her bowl and left it in the sink then wandered up the steps to get ready.

"Tori! Tori!" Penny dashed away from her brother as soon as they entered the school and ran over to her best friend who was bent down and digging through the bottom of her locker. "Guess what?" Penelope stood against the locker next to Tori Hogart's.

"What?" Tori asked, her voice muffled.

"I got a call from Vin on Sunday, he wants me to come over and jam tonight. I owe it all to you!" She excitedly exclaimed as Tori stood up, still facing her locker. Penelope walked up behind Tori and gave her a huge bear hug. "Thanks so much."

"No problem." Tori slowly turned around slowly.

Penelope's smile disappeared the moment she saw Tori. Her face was swallowed and a yellowish-blue bruise appeared over her eye like sh'ed tye-dyed it that way. Penelope covered her mouth with both hands and gasped.

"Tori?" She had just seen her Saturday night, how did this happen? Penelope had figured that the rumors about Tori's dad were just rumors.

"Don't fuss." Tori sounded just like her mom would. Penelope wrapped her in another hug, this time facing her. Tori flinched and let out a sigh of pain. Penelope backed up cautiously and hesitantly, Tori rolled her hoody up a little to reveal purple and red bruising and scabs. Penelope's eyes almost welled over. Neither of the girls realized, Spencer watching them from the doorway.

The lunch room was jam packed as always when Sydney entered. It was the first day at school this semester that she'd actually put effort into looking good. She played with the zip up on navy Juicy sweater when she approached her usual lunch table where Giselle and Collen and their posse always sat. The moment Giselle noticed her best friend, she occupied herself with the girl next to her. Sydney went to sit down besides Colleen but before she could, Colleen put her tote bag on it.

"Go sit with Hogart." She didn't even look up at Sydney. She just shooed her away with her hand. "You two never did finish your round at The Fyxx."

Sydney put the pieces together on her own. She wasn't allowed to sit with the girls because Colleen had seen her with Jayson. She just scoffed and shook her head.

"I'm surprised you could see anything with Austin Walters face plasted on yours." She just commented before traipsing away.

Giselle's eyes burstedopen on her older's sister.

"Collie, did you even hear Mom?" She asked with concern in her voice.

"Oh shut up, Giselle." Colleen turned away.

Sydney stood behind Hogart who was standing outside by his car, dressed in his winter coat and hanging out with a bunch of the gys Sydney recognized from the Ravine.

"Hey you guys." She waved at them all. Most of the guys waved back since she was one of their "Ravine girls" now even though none of them had been with her. Jayson hadn't even got that much action which was only half the reason he didn't turn around to notice her. She wandered over and rubbed her hand on his back.

"How you doin'?" She reached up on her tip toes expecting a kiss.

"Whatever." He shrugged the shoulder her hand was on and she placed both feet back on the ground.

"Jayson." She grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

"What the hell, Syd?" He pulled away from her.

"What's going on with you? Why are you being a jackass?"

"Why don't you go ask your counsellor?" Standing in the atrium in the school was Emma and Jayson nodded up at her. Sydney glanced behind her and just sighed. She knew what this was all about.

"Jayson, that was a one time thing. It won't happen again." He just turned away and headed back to her. She was right on his heels though. "Jayson!" She cut off in front of him. He stared his face down at her but, averted his eyes away from her. "I'll make it up to you." Like the desperate girl she didn't realize she was becoming, she spread her hands up his chest and around his neck.

"How?"

"I'll see you tonight by the vans." She gave him a peck and then let go.

He went back to his friends with his mischevious smile on his face. Sydney looked back at Emma who was waiting for her in the atrium. Sydney just dashed away and walked home for lunch.

She let herself in through the back door since she noticed her dad's car in the driveway. She thought he had to go to work but, something must've came up. She tip toed over to the pantry and found a box of Kraft Dinner. She took it out and shushed it while it shook. She looked around to see if her dad was anywhere around but, he wasn't. The sound of Dean Martin was coming from his bedroom, though.

It baffled Sydney. Her dad hated Dean Martin or any Rat Pack music. He used to tease her mom when she'd put the CD on. It was her mom's favorite. She put the box down and tip toed up the stairs and listened in from his bedroom door. Just the sound of Dean Martin's voice brought back her mom to Sydney, if only for a second. She tuned Dean Martin out the moment she heard sniffling. Was her dad really crying? She looked through the crack of the door and there he was. He was sitting on his bed with a box open and packing his deceased wive's clothing into it, his face pink from crying and his eyes plastered and salty. Sydney was swarmed with miserable and sympathetic feelings. She wandered over to room to sit in silence and contemplate but when she checked out her window, she saw Ashley and Jimmy loading other boxs into their car, Sydney knew they were her mother's things and they'd be leaving her house for storage. It brought a fury of sobs out of Sydney's eyes.

The day couldn't of been any longer for Tori. Mondays weren't a picnic for anyone but, with all the looks she'd been getting from people in the hall and from teachers, she just wanted to find a big boulder to crawl behind. She ignored her brother outside when she left Degrassi. She wasn't ready to go home. She was going to walk to give herself more time. She passed the bike racks where Penelope was sitting, waiting for Tori.

"Hey." She peeped.

"Hey girl." She conjured up her most believable smile.

"Aren't you going home?" Penelope had seen Tori ditch her older brother.

"I'm going to walk."

"Want to come over to my place?" That was the best offer Tori had gotten all day. It beat out Spencer's offer for Tori to have lunch with him in the atrium. Tori just nodded down at her shoes. "Good." Penelope agreed. "I just have to stop and pick up groceries first, is that alright?"

Spencer hopped in the front seat of his dad's car. It smelt like hockey gear which was understanble seeing as his dad's hockey bag was taking up the whole back seat.

"How was school today?" Dylan asked, his curls framing his face benath his winter tuk.

Spencer just shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't that great - the janitor still hadn't cleaned his locker and Tori still wouldn't give him the time of day. Plus, it broke his heart to see her all banged up.

"You gotta give me more than that." Dylan nudged his son, playfully, while driving out onto the street. "Come on, you never talk to me anymore."

Spencer thought about it for a moment. He didn't really confide in his parents like he used too. It was just all the chaos at school that prevented him from talking about it. Still, if he had to choose he'd talk to Dylan about girls before he'd discuss it with Marco.

"There's this girl..." He began slowly and catiously.

"Are you sure this is going to be okay with your dad?" Tori asked as she helped Penelope unpack their bags of groceries.

"It'll be fine." Penny assured Tori for the umpteenth time.

Wearing only a towel around his waist, Sean entered the kitchen straight from the shower his mane dripping down his chest. Tori was throughly impressed with the sight she saw. The Cameron boys sure had hot bodies.

"Dad!" Penny exclaimed tossing a shirt at him from the laundry hamper on the kitchen table.

"Tori, I didn't know you were here." He pulled it over his chest.

"I don't mind." She joked, she turned around so fast to face their cupboard, so he wouldn't see her bruises.

"Dad, can you come with me?" Tilting her head to the side, Penelope led her dad to the living room.

"Penny, I'm running late, could this wait?"

"No." Penny shook her head. "Can Tori stay here?"

"If it's okay with her parents, sure." Sean was smart enough to know that idea would never fly with Jay Hogart.

"I mean like stay here...for a long time." She wanted to make sure her dad understood.

"Penny, I can barely handle you and your brothers." The idea of another teenager in the house terrified him. Still, Penelope didn't move. "She's got her own family."

"Dad, she gets beaten." She had sworn to Tori that she wouldn't tell her dad that but, this was important to Penelope. "Her dad hits her. Really bad."

This put Sean in an awkward poistioned. It wasn't really his desicion to make. He stood up straight and sighed deeply. He was grateful that he had a date with Emma tonight, he could maybe bring it up and she'd have some expert advice to give. Of course, he hadn't mentioned anything about his seeing Emma to either of his kids.

"She can sleep over tonight, that's all." Sean caved in a little.

"Dad!" That wasn't good enough to Penelope.

"We'll talk about it tommorrow." He left Penelope to go back to unloading the groceries and went to get ready for his big date.

"It's okay." Tori assumed what the answer was by Penelope's angry face.

"No, it isn't, Tori! This isn't okay for you."

"Penny, please - " Tori closed the fridge door finally finished with the groceries.

"I'm going to help you, you're my friend!" Penny proclaimed loudly. "I can't believe this happens to you. I hate him! I hate your dad!" Penny was getting herself worked up to the brim. She was dizzy from all the energy it took for her to yell. She collapsed back against the counter, her head hanging low and drowsy.

"Penny!" Tori shouted and dashed over to the little brunette who was getting smaller and smaller. She held her up by the waist and placed her palm over Penelope's forehead.

"Sorry, I just got myself really worked up." Penelope exhaled.

"Are you sure?" Tori double checked.

"Yeah, look, why don't you come to my jam session with The Manning Twins? I don't want to leave you alone."

"No." Tori backed up and shook her head.

"Well Cody isn't going to be here and my dad's going out."

"Hot date?" Tori teased trying to take Penelope off topic.

"No." She stuck out her tounge. "Please come, Tori, you know you want to see Vin."

"I do, yes." She nodded, holding her hair back to put into a low pony tail. "But, I don't want him to see me like this." She admitted in a soft tone. Penelope understood that. She led Tori to her room to get settled and then got ready to leave. She wrote down Vin's cell number in case she needed to get a hold of her.

"Dad!" Vin called while storming the halls of the Manning bungalow.

"Yes?" Craig called back imitating his sons loud booming voice. Craig was eating a cup of yogurt from the fridge and reading over a Memo he'd gotten at the studio. "Can you believe this band still wants me to produce them?" He handed his wife the memo to read over. She was sitting at the kitchen table typing up an article on her laptop.

"Alright, Dad, from a business stand point, you're presented with this incrediable bassist that you want to hire but your dummer doesn't want to," Behind Vin, Hartley appeared with an annoyed look over his face. "Do you go with the democracy and find yourself a different bassist or do you screw what the drummer says and hire him?"

Craig glanced down at Ellie who just kept typing away.

"Talk it over with your brother." Craig agreed, spooing some yogurt in his mouth.

"That's the worst advice." Vin muttered and then turn to stomp past his twin brother.

Craig mischeviously pulled up a chair next to Ellie.

"Looks like somebody got to Hartley." He mentioned, still eating the yogurt.

"What do you mean?" Ellie was typing vicsiously and pouring all her concentration into her work.

"Vin wants to let Johnny Santos in their band, Hartley doesn't."

"What's your point, Craig?"

"You know the only thing that Hartley would put before the band is his mom." Craig's bug eyes were completely open and staring down his wife.

"If you think I gave hima guilt trip and spilt my feelings towards Johnny's mom, your ex-girlfriend, on our son, you're diluted." Ellie only glanced away from her article for a second.

"Sometimes, Ellie, you can be so childish." Craig got up to chuck his empty yogurt cup in the garbage.

"Excuse me?" She closed the lid of laptop and turned herself around to face Craig.

"What happened between Manny and me was decades ago!" He tossed his arms to the side to prove his point to Ellie."Manny and I." She corrected.

"Ellie, I know I have a history with Manny but, I have a history with Ash, too. We still visit Jimmy and her all the time."

"It's different!" Ellie shouted.

"How?!"

"You never got Ashley pregnant."

The boys who were listening from behind the wall were shocked. It was like listening to a radio soap opera.

"Ellie, you have to get over that."

Saving the day, Penelope rang the door bell. Walking away from the fight that was exploding in her kitchen, Ellie went to answer it.

"I can't believe this." Emma slipped her hand into Sean's with a smile beaming on her face while they walked through the park in her neighborhood.

"Me either." He shook his head. "It's been a long time since I've been out of my jumpsuit." Emma had commented on how nice he looked all dressed up earlier. "Or that I've been out on a date with a goregous girl." He smiled over at her, pulling her closer to him. She thanked God that the only light on them were the few dim streetlights and the moon because she didn't want him to see her blush. "Do you want to go back to my place?" He offered, slipping his arms around her waist.

"Is that okay with Penelope and Cody?" She asked, pressing herself against his sweet smelling skin.

"Penelope's out and Cody's at work." Sean mentioned. "I've got the place to myself."

They felt like two high school kids again just hung up on one another and infatuated. They wandered back down the park pathway, hand in hand, and got back into Sean's car. The drive back to his place was full of laughter and light hearted conversation. It completely took away the idea that dating Sean was wrong for Emma. He got out of the car and opened the door for her as they parked across the street from his house.

"I'm going to warn you, it's a bit of a mess." He said while walking her up the drive.

"I assure you, I've seen worse."

They were stopped at the sight of Jay Hogart standing against his car by the house. Alex was sitting in the passenger seat with a black eye and a flask in her hand. She didn't even look up at them. Their son was nowhere to be seen though.

"Well, isn't this a blast from the past?" Jay cackled and wobbled. He was clearly tipsy.

"Jay, what are you doing here?" Sean groaned, still holding onto Emma's hand.

"I should ask Emma that. Are you two lovecats rekindling?"

"Jay, leave."

"I think you have something that belongs to me."

"What now?" Sean rolled his eyes.

"You took my job from me, Cameron, you're not taking my daughter."

Sean let go of Emma's hand and stepped foreword.

"See, I didn't know if you knew she was your daughter seeing as most dad's I know don't use their kids as punching bags." He got right up into Jay's face and spoke casually and calmly. Jay was furious though, he grunted and pushed his fist right into Sean's fist causing him to fall onto the pavement. Emma gasped and ran over right away, never a dull day with Sean, she thought to herself. Jay pounced down on Sean and the two men wrestled one another like they were back at Degrassi and teenagers. Alex leaped out of the car and tried pulling her husband off Sean.

"Jay, stop!" Emma called.

"Jay!" Alex tugged at his shirt.

Cliffhanger!!!!

**Read and Review please.**

**Made Of Steel - Our Lad Peace**

I've got some good romantic/drama ideas for the next chapter, so keep reading!


	11. On Fire

Chapter Eleven: On Fire

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Degrassi.

Mirrioring what Vin was playing on his guitar only in a higher key, Penny was enjoying her jam time with both Hartley and Vin though Hartley hadn't said a word the whole time. Out of the blue, Vin stopped strumming and reached into his back pocket and turned on his cellphone which was vibrating.

"Hello?" He didn't recognize the number. "Tori?" He questioned a few seconds later. "She wants to talk to you." He handed his cellphone to Penelope.

"Tori?" Penny looked like she was listening intently. "What? Are you serious?" She pushed one hand through her hair and sighed, exsperated. "Okay, I'll be there as quick as I can." She sounded like she was trying to be assuring. "Just sit tight, okay?" She hung up the phone and held it in the air. "I'm sorry, I have to go, she needs me." Penelope packed up her guitar as quick as she could. "Man, I don't even know when an 81 is coming by, should I just call a cab?" She asked the very muddled twin boys while pulling on her winter coat. "Do you have a phone?" She asked Vin and he didn't say a word. She searched Hartley's face but he wasn't saying a word. "Are you a mute?" She asked him directly. "I need a phone, where's a phone!?" She was hysterical. "I have a phone." She realized that she was still holding Vin's cell phone in her hand. "What's the number for the taxi company? It's something like 1-800-cabs, 1-800-TAXI, what is it?"

"I'll drive you." Hartley came up from behind his drum kit and picked up her guitar case and put it in the backseat of the car that was parked in their garage.

Penelope was shocked that she'd just heard Hartley's speaking voice, she stood still for a second but, as Vin and Hartley backed out, she was brought back to reality and she hopped into the backseat of their car.

Working the till at her father's resturant, Sydney was bored out of her face. Monday's weren't ever very busy but, tonight wasn't even steady. She popped one of the complimentary mints in her mouth and stared aimlessly at the clock.

"It's only ten." She let out to the waiter standing next to her, reading over his scehdule. "I don't get off till midnight."

"Me either." The guy said in a bored tone. "You can probably skip out, you know? It's so dead in here Nicole can probably watch the front."

Sydney knew that was true but, she couldn't leave. This was all part of her punishment. Still, her rebelious side was kicking inside her - trying to take all control. She hadn't take her break yet, maybe she could run out to the ravine for fifteen minutes. Nobody would be the wiser.

"Actually, Tyler," She glanced over at him, she already had her hat and mittens on. "I'm just going to go out for my break, I'll be back in a few." She flashed a quick grin and with her coat in her hands she exited the resturant. She'd be in the ravine in a matter of minutes.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Emma shouted as she held onto Sean and checked over his bleeding nose. "Let's get you inside." She said to only him. Jay shook Alex off him and headed to the door.

"What are you doing?" Sean turned around and scoffed at him.

"I gotta get Tori." He said like nothing had happened between them. He exercised his Jay around in a circle to make sure it was still in place. Sean cautiously let Alex and Jay inside his house. Sean immeadtly felt embaressed for Emma, Jay and Alex to see his place but Alex and Jay were nothing but impressed and slightly envious.

"I'm going to get you two some ice." Emma disappeared into the Cameron kitchen.

"I'll go get Tori." Sean thumped up his staircase. He very rarely went up the the second floor of his house since it was basically just Penelope and Cody's room up there. He knocked on the plain shut door that led into Penelope's room. "Tori, uh, your mom's here." He thought that would be less frightening for the girl to hear. Inside he could hear nothing but the stereo on. "Tori?" He knocked again, no answer. "I'm coming in." He announced himself before pushing the door open. The room was empty, no Tori to be seen anywhere. His eyes settled on the open window and blowing curtains above it. Slowly, he came downstairs.

Alex and Emma both stood in the kitchen, putting ice in Ziploc bags. They stood in silence, they were never close in high school and after high school, they didn't bother to keep in touch with one another. Still, the bruise over Alex's eye worried Emma. Naturally, as a physcologist, she felt inclined to inquire.

"So, how are things going in your life, Alex?"

"Don't pry, Greenpeace." Alex muttered taking the ice bag over to her husband who was standing by the door, in a rush to leave. Emma was speechless. No one had called her Greenpeace in eons. It brought a nostalgic smile on her face, if only for a moment.

"She left out the window." Sean admitted when he reached the bottom step. Alex's face turned from pink to read in complete fear.

"What?" Jay roared and stomped up Sean's staircase. He opened every door harshly but not a single room revealed Tori. "You better watch your back, Cameron. You're in deep shit." Jay spat in Sean's face once he reached the last stair.

"Let's go drive around and look for her." Alex tugged on Jay's sleeve and the two worrisome parents left the Cameron abode.

"Some date, huh?" Sean shook his head and asked Emma.

"Unforgettable." Emma just grinned to try and keep him calm. "Now, think, where would she of gone?"

"I don't know, Em. I don't even know the girl." He held his head in one hand and ran it through his hair. "I can't believe this." Emma just pressed the icebag on his nose and wiped away he excess blood with her finger.

"You're one of a kind, Sean Cameron." She held him close to her and he put one hand on the small of her back. "We'll find her."

In the backseat of the Manning twins car, Penelope held the whimpering and freezing Tori Hogart in her arms. Tori was frozen since she hadn't bothered to grab her coat from Penny's living room. She just climbed out the window and into the boy's car. Penelope tried her best warming her up but it wasn't working.

"Here." While driving, Hartley took off his snowboarding jacket and handed it back to Penelope.

"Thanks." She wrapped Tori in it.

"Where are we going?" Vin asked no one in particular.

"I can't go home. I can't." Tori whimpered and shook her head.

"I know, Tor, I know." Holding her closer, Penelope shushed her and tried to be as much comfort as she could.

"Do you have any other family members nearby?"

Tori's grandparent's on her father's side lived in Montreal and mom's mom would most likely be of no help at all, she'd only make things worse even though she did like Jay. Tori just shook her head.

"What about my mom's?" Penny offered. Vin turned and watched the girls, waiting for an answer. Tori just shook her hands.

"Let's just keep driving." Vin nodded at his brother and turned on the radio station.

"Paige, hey." Gavin looked up from the cake he was icing at his old friend who appeared from the back of his kitchen. "What brings you to my favorite place?" He asked handing the batter to the line cook next to him.

"I just wanted to see how you're doing."

"I'm fine." He nodded while taking off his plastic gloves.

"You're not still upset with me? I am sorry. I emailed you." She was still dressed in her business suit and must've taken time off late night working to come over. Gavin just broke out in a smile.

"I'm not mad, Paige. That was a hard night, I don't ever want to repeat it."

"I know what you mean." The usual confident Paige didn't seem to be the one who was standing mouse-like in front of him.

"How are you, Paige?" He checked.

"I'm, I'm fine." She stuttered.

He nodded towards the door behind her and the two wandered into his office.

"What's going on?" He asked whiel shutting the door and turning on the light.

"It's Colleen."

"Yeah." Gavin tried to catch on.

"She won't stop talking about Austin Walters."

"A-ha." Gavin nodded. "So it's pretty awful being at home right now, huh?"

"No, it's fine, it's just - I don't want her to see him, not just him, I don't want her to meet his dad."

"Paige," He wrapped her in a hug and let her cry against his chest. It brought back a whole pile of highschool flashbacks for him and for her. "Maybe, you're reading into this. Colleen's had crushes before."

"Yeah but, she's like me. She goes after what she wants and doesn't quit till she gets it."

Paige most definatly had a point.

Sean and Emma were cuddled on the couch and enjoying each other's company. Emma's plan to try and distract Sean was working wonders - until the phone began to ring.

"No." Emma moaned as he unwrapped his arm around her shoulder to go and retrieve it.

"What if it's Tori, Em? Or Penny, cause she should be here." He checked his watch and then grabbed the phone on the kitchen table. "Hello?"

"Dad?" Penny asked on the other end, she was on Vin's cellphone in the car.

"Penny, where are you?"

Emma got up from the couch and wandered over close to him to hear what was going on.

"You have to not freak out, okay?"

"That's an awful opening line, Penny." Sean held his hip and clsoed his eyes to listen.

"I'm with Tori, she's fine."

"Penny, her parents are looking all over for her. You guys have to get back here." He tried just talking to her casually.

"Dad, I know you don't want to meddle but, this is important."

"Penny ." His voice was getting more stern.

"We're with Hartley and Vin." Sean hadn't a clue who they were. "We're just driving around."

"Come home right now."

"Dad," She took a deep breath. Sean was not liking where this was headed. "We're sort of - we're sort of out of town."

"What?" His voice went from stern to hostile. "Penny, you get your ass back here right now. That's a demand, you hear?"

"Dad, she just needs to get away."

"Penelope Joy, you listen to me, you get your little ass back here right now!"

Emma plced her hands on his back and began to massage to let him know she was there and to try and calm him down.

"No can do." It took everything Penny had to say those three small words and while her dad began to shout, she hung up.

"Penelope, you get back here. You turn that car around and get here!" It was then he realized she was no longer on the line. "Shit!" His voice erupted a yell as he hung up the phone.

"What? What's happening?" Emma asked to be clued in.

"Get your coat, we're going on a roadtrip."He walked right past his date to grab his car keys.

"You know, most guys just do dinner and a movie!" She called from the kitchen.

Seeing as it was a Monday, the ravine really wasn't that packed. Just the hardest of the stoners were there and the horniest teenagers. The first van she saw was shaking like an earthquake. She couldn't see Jayson anywhere but she did see Zac Cameron. She approached him cautiously but he was stoned it wouldn't matter how she wandered over.

"Hey Zac." She helped herself to one of the beers in the pack next to him on the picnic bench. It was still pretty cold from all the snow. He just stared at her with his glossy red eyes. She'd gotten used to guys like h im in the last few days. "Have you seen Jayson?"

Slowly, he nodded towards one of the vans. She opened the can of beer and took a large sip. She figured Jayson was waiting inside for what she had promised him. She thanked Zac and wandered over. She didn't even bother to knock, she just threw the van door open.

She gasped loudly at what she saw. Jayson with his pants around his ankles and a girl crouched between his legs. She couldn't believe it. She was really falling for the boy she knew in the back of her mind would choose a joint over her but, still, that didn't stop it from hurting.

"Syd!" Jayson sat up alert but, the girl never stopped between his legs.

She just turned around and took a large gulp of beer and started to walk down the snow path. She couldn't walk straight since it was so icy. Zipping up his jeans, Jayson followed behind him.

"Syd! Syd!" He called. Finally, he was close enough to put his palm over her shoulder. "Syd!"

"It's Sydney!" She screamed with a high pitched voice. Her eyes were welling up but, she'd been crying too much in her mind, so she tried her best not to let them rain out.

"Syd, why are you even upset? You and me, we're just having a good time. We're having fun."

"I like you." She weeped and then started to march away. Jayson just watched her leave but then she spun around and walked back over to him.

"Atta girl." He patted his hand down her limp blonde hair. She just reached up on her toes and slapped him as hard as he could. It was shocking but, he'd felt much worse. That done, she ran as fast as she could out of the ravine. She was already minutes late for work.

What'd you guys think? Let me know.

School begins for me tommorrow, so I probably won't be able to update as much but, I still will frequantly.

Review, please.

**Also, I'm really unsure where I want the whole Ellie, Manny, Craig thing to go. Any suggestions?**

**On Fire - Switchfoot**

**A/N: I was asked if in this story Palex had ever happened and I suppose it doesn't really matter, I never thought about it. You can choose whether you want them to of been together or not. **


	12. Wreck Of The Day

Chapter Twelve: Wreck Of The Day

Sitting in the backseat of the Manning car, Tori asleep on her lap, Penny hung up Vin's cell phone and held it close to her chin, just thinking. They'd been driving for nearly an hour and it all felt so unplanned and insane. She'd never been in a position like this, she hadn't the slightest clue what to do.

"What's the plan?" Vin slid in the front seat and glanced behind him.

"I don't really know." Penelope sighed. "I'm sorry to drag you guys into this."

"Don't worry about it." Vin sighed and put the key in the ignition.

Penelope just watched as Hartley left the gas station and headed back towards the car.

"What do you think we should do?" Vin asked his brother slid into the passenger seat. Once again, Hartley had slipped into his mute-like tendencies and just shrugged his shoulders.

"You know," Penny spoke up while keeping Tori warm beneath Hartley's coat. "Wasaga Beach is only three hours from where we are now." Both boys just looked at her as if she was mental. "I know, it's out of the way for you two but, I just think she needs to get away right now."

After a moment of silence and glancing between Penelope and his brother, Vin nodded his head and turned out of the gas station.

"Wasaga it is." He lightly turned the radio back on to a classic rock station.

Hartley offered his brother a jube-jube from a small little paper bag he'd purchased at the gas station, Vin took a whole fistful and shoved them in his mouth at once. Twisting around in his seat, Hartley silently offered some to Penelope.

"No, thanks." She just yawned and watched the chattering cold breeze pass her by.

"Do you have any idea where she'd head?" Emma asked, shivering beneat her black winter coat and watching her breath drift through Sean's car. Sean wasn't known for driving safely but, he was driving even more pyhcotic than usual. Nervously, Emma watched him as he'd cut in front of cars and drive through blinking yellow lights as fast his car allowed him.

"No." Sean turned his music louder. "I'm really sorry about this, Em. Do you want me to drive you home? I can turn around."

"No, I want to come with you." She assured him while placing one of her hands over his which was holding the steering wheel tightly. He looked down at it and instantly felt a little better.

"Thanks." He spoke softly. "I can't believe she'd pull a stunt like this."

The night was turning darker and darker around them and seemed to swallow all the stars whole. Sean just kept driving - following his gut instinct. While stopping for gas, Sean called Cody to let him know he'd be out that night.

"Oh, Em." Sean noticed it was nearing one am. "You've got to work tommorrow. I'm so sorry."

"I can call in and say i'll be late. It's okay."

"I wanted this date to go well, I really did. Damn kids." He shook his head and sighed heavily.

"Why didn't you tell Penny that you were going on a date with me?"

"I thought she'd flip out. She'd been having major mood swings lately."

"I think she's just stressed. She puts a lot more responsibilty on her than most sophmores do."

"That's all her doing."

"Have you tried to talk to her about it?" Emma cared too much for her own good sometimes.

"I'm good father." Sean said aloud trying to convince Emma but, mostly trying to convince himself.

"I know that, I know." She nodded and decided it was best to back down.

"Ready to head out?" Dressed in his casual wear, Gavin appeared out of the kitchen and stood by the counter for his daughter. Her eyes were smaller and puffier than before and her cheeks were red like she'd been outside. "Sydney, are you alright?"

"Sure." She closed the drawer of the till and looked away from him. "Let's go." She got bundled up in her winter gear and the two left his closed up resturant.

"It was dead tonight, eh?" He asked as they drove down the icy streets, the sound of a hockey game quietly coming from the radio.

"Yep." Sydney only stared out the window, watching her reflection.

"Did you guys happen to prepare some roll-ups for tommorrow morning? Ike said they were short the last few mornings."

"I did two bins." She nodded.

"Only two?" He sounded surprised.

"Nicole did two, too, I think Tyler might've done some." She shrugged not turning around to look at him.

"Did something happen tonight, Syd?"

"It's Sydney!" She snapped.

Gavin didn't know how much more of his daughter's new attitude he could take. She was like a flame she'd grow wild and then burn out and the mood swings were too drastic for him to live through. He still wasn't used to being a single father.

He took a moment to let her cool off and then tried again.

"You going to talk to me about it?"

"No." She shook her head.

"Well, I hear you didn't go to your appointment with Miss Nelson today."

"What? Is she, like, on our speed dial now?"

"Hey, she's trying to help us."

"I don't need help!"

"Well, I do!" Gavin shouted right back at her. "I can't handle you anymore! You're all over the place; you're getting drunk, sneaking out. I just want my little girl back." His voice croaked at the end. Sydney was ready to keep fighting with him but after all he said, she had nothing more to say. She just sunk down in the chair and pouted. She was still aching over her earlier encounter with Jayson Hogart.

Craig hung up his phone back on it's cradle and sighed loudly, leaning over the sink. Ellie sat nervously on the couch in the living room, her teeth chattering.

"That was Vin." He called to his wife from the kitchen.

"He's okay?!" She stood up right away and turned to face Craig's back. "They're okay? Where are they?

"On their way to Wasaga Beach." Craig finally turned around to face Ellie's panicked expression.

"Why?" She asked.

"To help someone, apparently." Craig wandered away from the counter and pulled a cola from the kitchen. "Want one?" He offered.

"No, I don't want a pop. Craig," She meandered into the kitchen and right over to him. "I want to know when my sons are coming home."

"He said he's safe and not to worry."

"That means nothing, Craig!" She threw her hands up onto her forehead. "You have to ask questions. You have to be firm, have you learnt nothing in these last eighteen years of raising two boys?!" She started to accuse him, furiously. The legend of red head shone through her clearly.

"Ellie, they said they were fine, relax. You know Vin and Hartley, they're good kids."

"Sydney Mason is a good kid and you heard what Spinner said when we were at his restaurant. Spencer Del Rossi is a good kid and he's driving Marco mad these days." She began to list off names for Craig. "The Menedez Brothers are good kids and they killed their parents in their sleep!" She screamed at her highest pitch.

"You're overreacting, Ellie." Craig took a large slug of Cola and took a seat in front of the couch and turned on the television.

"I'm overreacting? Craig, it's one in the morning. I think it's a little understandable that I am upset that my kids took off in the middle of the night to Wasaga."

Craig was through with arguing and tuned her out to concentrate on the music video playing on the screen.

"I can't believe you." She muttered and wandered down the hall to their bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Craig knew the couch was certainly where he'd be sleeping that night.

He got bored quickly and went to take his mind off the fighting his wife and he had been doing lately. Ellie and he rarely ever fought in their two decades of marriage. He hopped in the car and went looking for something reliable and exciting.

"Want to hop in the front?" Hartley looked through the rear view mirror at Penelope who was turning pale and falling asleep in the backseat. He patted the back of the passenger seat.

"How can he brave the cold?" She glanced out the window at Vin who was walking through a forest of empty frozen trees to find a bush to relieve himself in. Hartley just sort of watched.

"Sure." She slid out of the backseat and left Tori to lay in her sleep. He reached to his side and opened the door for her and in she slid. Since, she'd finally heard Hartley talk, she could tell a distinct difference in Vin and his voice now. Vin was chatty but didn't really have a whole lot of welcomeness in his speaking voice. Every one of Hartley's words was filled with meaning.

"How are you?" He asked like they hadn't been on the road together for the past three hours and ten minutes.

"Cold." She shivered. "You?"

Hartley reached foreword and turned the heat on even heavier than it already was.

"I'm relaxed, actually. Something about the long drive."

"I wouldn't know." She shrugged. "I only have my beginners."

"Really?" He carried on their conversation with such ease.

"Yeah, my dad lets me drive all the time but, I haven't gone farther than a few blocks."

"You want to drive the rest of the way?" He leaned back as if he was offering her the wheel.

"Uh," She thought out loud. "In fear, I might kill all four of us, no." She laughed causing him to chuckle, too.

"So, where exactly are we going?" He asked, watching Vin wander through the snow field of trees.

"There's a motel right when you first enter." She offered. Hartley just seemed to take it in with no reaction. "Or my grandparents live out there."

"Do you think they'd let us stay over there for a night?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen them in such a long time."

"Why don't you call them?" Hartley fished his cell phone from his coat pocket and held it out for her to take. "Just so they know where we are, just in case."

"Good idea." She smiled meekly and began to dial the number her father very rarely did.

"You know I remember you." Hartley stared out the windshield and mentioned.

"Pardon?" She asked holding the phone to her ear.

"When you were a little girl, all the sundress stories, I remember. Vin and I used to go ride our bikes with Zac all the time. I remember you."

Her heart was warmed and for the first time she was certain she had somebody she could count on. No boy, or anyone for that matter, had gone that far out of their way for her as to drive her to Wasaga or even take the time to remember her.

"I didn't mean to make you blush." He sounded worried and apologetic when he noticed the tinges of pink filling her cheeks.

"Hi Grandma?" Penny spoke into the phone as Vin slid into the backseat next to Tori.

"Sean, where are we even going?" Curled up in the passenger seat of his car, she yawned.

"I don't know." Sean turned the radio down. "Try and catch some sleep." He spoke in a lullaby like tone.

"How's you nose?" Drowsily, she asked.

"It's fine." He just smiled. Even half asleep, she cared about him.

Right then, killing the moment, his cell phone began to buzz on the dashboard. He answered it immediately.

"Mom?" He asked, they barely talked. He was shocked. Emma woke herself up right away to see what would come of this. "She is?" He sounded completely blown out of the water. "Wasaga, what?" Now, his voice went to frustrated. "Yeah, sure, thanks." He hung up immediately.

"What's the latest?" Emma asked, as alert as she could be.

"They're headed where I thought they'd be."

Not the best chapter, I suppose but, again I've got all sorts of plans brewing.

Let me know what you think. I love reading your reviews.

WRECK OF THE DAY - ANNA NALICK


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